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This show was inspired by the photograph, which happened to be my first professional modeling job.
When the shot was chosen to be used for billboards protesting the West Side Stadium, a friend suggested
that it would make a great promotional image for a show. Jokingly, I asked her, "Where's the fire?" and that set me
on a path to look at the many temperatures of love.
Where's The Fire?
includes such standards as Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,
Too Darn Hot, Lover and
Too Close For Comfort as well as lesser-known gems: Duke Ellington's
Take Love Easy, You Inspire Me by Fran Landesman
and Tommy Wolf, Now, Baby, Now by Sammy Cahn. Then there's Stephen Sondheim's
Good Thing Going transformed in 7/8 and Peggy Lee's Fever,
accompanied only by drums, which blows the roof off the room.
Bistro Bits by John Hoglund
Back Stage
… he's on his way to becoming a hot commodity. His baritone is supple and smooth and his unhurried delivery makes every word count. For instance, his sexy interpretation of the Peggy Lee staple Fever (Davenport-Cooley) smoldered with sensuous emotion. He followed that with Cool from West Side Story (Sondheim-Bernstein) with an edge that was fun. With his brilliant musical collaborator David Cook, a highly skilled jazz pianist-arranger with a promising future..., Michael Blanco on bass and Liven Venken on drums, Purnhagen was in good hands and the eclectic show took flight.
Purnhagen has a natural sincerity that adds to the heart he pours into his readings. There was no better example of this than on the Leslie Bricusse When I Look In Your Eyes from Doctor Doolittle. His passionate delivery made everyword count. He has his own delightful personality. He should make his presence known on the cabaret scene and let the community discover someone to keep an eye on.