"Where Are We Now"

Robert Massimi.

"Where Are We Now" is a cabaret like tribe to David Bowie sung magnificently by Sven Ratzke. In between songs, Ratzke is both amusing and poignant about Bowie's life, who the man was and how he became such an icon. The show is two hours long and it hits on most of Bowie's career. Ratzke's song depth, his cadence makes you feel like you are seeing Bowie himself. With only a grand piano on stage, Christian Pabst and Sven Ratzke hammer out some of David Bowie's best songs. From the opening song "The Man Who Sold The World" to its ending of "Life On Mars", this performance is sheer delight.

Born in Brixton, South London, David Robert Jones, AKA David Bowie had an interest in music, art and design at an early age. In 1969, "Space Oddity" became his first top-five entry on the UK Singles Chart. In 1972, during the flamboyant glam rock era, Bowie emerged as his alter ego Ziggy Stardust. In 1975, Bowie shifted into "plastic Soul", it at first alienated his devoted fans, but won him U.S. success with the songs "Fame" and Young Americans". Shortly afterwards, Bowie would move to Berlin and release his trilogy.... the Low" album; "Heroes" in 1977 and" Lodger" in 1979; each album received lasting and critical praise.

In the 1980's, Bowie released "Ashes To Ashes" and "Under Pressure", a collaboration with Queen. 1983 saw his commercial peak with the release of "Let's Dance". David Bowie was also known as a very good film actor. Starring in "The Man Who Fell To Earth"; "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence"; "Labyrinth"; "The Prestige" in 2006 among other movies, television appearances and cameos. David Bowie is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.Bowie also was critically acclaimed for his role on Broadway in "The Elephant Man". David Bowie is also considered to be a first rate painter.

In 2013, Bowie returned from a decade- long recording hiatus with "The Next Day". He remained musically active until his death in 2016 with the release of "Darkstar" two days before his death.

David Bowie was a humble man, he turned down BOE , a British Knighthood as well as many other awards that England wanted to bestow on him. The last twenty plus years, Davis Bowie lived In New York City, London and upstate New York. David Bowie often said his three favorite places were: London, New York and Berlin. Never one to be open about his thoughts, a mostly guarded man, David Bowie was politically conservative. After accepting an award he said to Scotland "Don't leave us", meaning he wished for the United Kingdom to stay in tact. For the few who knew him, David Bowie was an old fashioned English gentleman and his political beliefs favored the Torres.

"Where Are We Now" plays at LaMaMa till December 21st. It should not be missed. Played in a cool basement theater, Sven Ratzke spins the music like a magician. His passion for this great singer is evident through his singing. His kind words about this special man speaks volumes about his respect for a legend. His songs sung; "Space Oddity"; "The Wall" and his German- American version of "Heros" were galant in the first act.

The second act had many of Bowie's staples such as; "Hello Spaceboy"; "Where Are We Now"; "The Jean Genie"; "Ashes To Ashes" and "Absolute Beginners". Like David Bowie; Sven Ratzke was cool, smooth and gracious to his audience. Sven Ratzke was at all times lite and funny, poignant with a leaning toward reverence.