Singer, actress and puppeteer Yael Rasooly makes her CEWM debut December 13 with Berlin cabaret, French chansons and a theatrical tribute to Édith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich
GREAT BARRINGTON, MA — Close Encounters With Music trades the traditional concert stage for the cabarets of Weimar Germany and the music halls of Paris with “Come to the Cabaret! Paris and Weimar Berlin,” Sunday, December 13 at 4 p.m. at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.
Internationally celebrated performer Yael Rasooly, known for her magnetic stage presence, powerful vocals and virtuoso puppetry, makes her CEWM debut joined by pianist Daniel Rein and trumpeter Rafael Castillo-Halvorssen. Together, they move between the bold, satirical songs of the Weimar era and the poetic chansons of Édith Piaf’s Paris, conjuring two places and periods that remain colorful, mythical and seductive in cultural history—all against the backdrop of a tempestuous political landscape.
Rasooly brings this world to life through song, mime, humor, elaborate costumes and visual storytelling. Specially created life-size puppets of Édith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich become her theatrical partners as music and puppetry intertwine. Part concert, part theater, the program pays tribute to both legendary performers while evoking the heady atmosphere of 1920s and ’30s Berlin and Paris.
The repertoire ranges from Berlin cabaret and the brilliant, razor-sharp songs of Kurt Weill—including “Bilbao Song” and “Speak Low”—to the French chanson tradition. The connection between the evening’s two great divas extends beyond the stage: Piaf and Dietrich were friends, and Dietrich served as matron of honor when Piaf married singer Jacques Pills.
Rasooly and Rein have performed their Golden Twenties and Thirties repertoire at Café Sabarsky at New York’s Neue Galerie, where their appearances have repeatedly sold out. Rasooly’s productions have toured more than 35 countries and hundreds of festivals and theaters worldwide, earning numerous international awards. Her appearances include Birdland Jazz Club in New York, La Chaufferie at the Moulin Rouge, the Château de Versailles and major stages and festivals throughout Europe.
Raised between Toronto, Jerusalem and Seattle, Rasooly trained from an early age as a classical pianist and singer before expanding into theater and visual performance. She studied theater design at Central Saint Martins in London and the School of Visual Theatre in Jerusalem, with further studies in France. Her acclaimed productions include “Paper Cut,” winner of an Excellence Award at the New York International Fringe Festival; “House by the Lake,” a musical cabaret for actresses, dolls and objects depicting three sisters in hiding during World War II; and “Edith and Me,” the third work in a trilogy examining violence against women. “Edith and Me” received seven awards at international European festivals in 2025, including multiple Grand Prix honors, and continues to tour internationally. Alongside her theatrical career, Rasooly performs as a singer with ensembles and orchestras throughout Europe and North America.
Pianist Daniel Rein brings an equally wide-ranging musical background to the program. He served for two years as Music Director for the European tour of Cats, was Associate Conductor on the Les Misérables 25th Anniversary Tour, and has performed as Associate Conductor and keyboardist for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in New York. A member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, Rein is also a composer and songwriter whose recent projects include And the Sun Goes Up, commissioned by MasterVoices; Her Violet Eye, a song cycle based on the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe; and Improvisations on Misirlou, a mini-concerto for piano inspired by the Greek folk song. Equally at home in classical and jazz idioms, he has performed with the Israel Philharmonic and at leading New York jazz venues. He studied at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and the Royal Academy of Music in London.
With “Come to the Cabaret!”, Close Encounters With Music steps beyond the traditional chamber concert to explore the music, personalities and cultural world of an extraordinary era through the singular theatrical imagination of Yael Rasooly.
“Inspired wackiness.” — The New York Times
“Her brilliance really shines! A singer, an actor, a puppeteer… A MUST SEE!” — Scott Barbarino, NiteLifeExchange
CONCERT DETAILS
Come to the Cabaret! Paris and Weimar Berlin
Sunday, December 13, 2026 | 4:00 p.m.
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA
Yael Rasooly — singer, actress, director and puppeteer
Daniel Rein — piano
Rafael Castillo-Halvorssen — trumpet
Tickets and additional information: cewm.org
ABOUT CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH MUSIC
Close Encounters With Music presents chamber music in the Berkshires through programs that connect performance with historical and cultural context. Founded by acclaimed cellist and artistic director Yehuda Hanani, CEWM combines world-class performance with entertaining, erudite and lively commentary that puts composers and their times in perspective. The 2026–27 season marks CEWM’s 35th year.
