‘Jacques Brel’ Is Alive and Well in the Hands of Moni Yakim

Twenty years ago, Moni Yakim introduced a new kind of musical to New York: the book-less, non-linear “Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.” Today the Jerusalem-born director reprises his original staging in the rechristened “Jacques Brel Is . . .” at the Pasadena Playhouse.

“In 1968, people talked about it as a revolutionary show,” recalled Yakim, 52. “Before I received the material, more than 15 other directors had read it and didn’t know what to do with it. I knew what to do. For me, it wasn’t a new kind of thing. Because in Israel, my background was in mime and movement. I had my own troupe; I used to do skits and songs, put on a show. Also, I knew Brel’s work, I was a great fan of his. So this was material I loved.”

But novelty wasn’t the only factor working against the show.

“At the time, there was an incredibly anti-French feeling,” Yakim said, fidgeting for a comfortable position to support a broken ankle (the result of a motorcycle accident, “trying to recapture my youth”). “De Gaulle had decided against NATO being in France; there was tremendous friction,” Yakim said. “I didn’t want the words French or Paris used in the title--but I was overruled.” Fortunately, no such backlash ever materialized. “People understood that it’s anti-Establishment, against injustice in general, anything that hurts the man in the street.

“Brel was a remarkable person,” he added, “a wonderful human being. Like (Bertolt) Brecht, he was unafraid of big things: injustice, dehumanization, the difference between the classes, those who trigger wars and send others to be killed for their own glory. He was unique in that he did not feel the need to mask what he felt or find a way to sneak (that message) to the audience. He was here : totally unashamed, uninhibited, highly emotional, exposing everything he had to say, everything he felt.”

Brel’s emotions, Yakim believes, transcend time.

“The themes are constant,” he said, “but the expression changes slightly. So you have to adapt it a little bit. In the ‘60s, the emphasis was on the anger, the protest; that was the voice at the time.”

Now?

“I think it’s a period of compromise. You have only to look at what’s happening in politics: the Russians and Americans. People are starting to meet, rather than separate and clash. So I toned down the fury, the protest--though the meaning’s still in the words. But bringing it into the ‘80s, there’s more optimism.”

Following the original staging, Yakim (who coached Peter Weller’s movement in the film “RoboCop”) stayed with the show for six years--and directed a number of revivals, including one in Holland with current cast members George Ball and Amanda McBroom.

“I did it because it’s a profession,” he shrugged. “And I love it. Also, I’m very possessive. I wanted it always to be perfect, the way I wanted to see it.”

Which is?

“I saw Brel on stage,” Yakim said. “I know what these songs mean. And there’s only one way to do them: charged with emotion. But not in the sweet, saccharine way. There’s a certain truth to the show; you cannot futz with that. You either do it the way it ought to be, or you don’t do it. But some people try to be very inventive with theatrical elements. . . . I also think people are afraid of emotionalism. So they try to cover it in all kinds of wonderful ways.”

Yakim has seen a generation of theatrical knock-offs follow “Brel’s” lead. “Every work of art influences another work of art. The thing is whether you do it well or not,” Yakim said. “If you don’t do it well, it’s bad for whatever you patterned it after. If you do it well, so much the better.” He has only praise for the “Brel”-inspired “Lies and Legends: The Musical Stories of Harry Chapin” (which runs in repertory with his show), “executed and directed so brilliantly that it has its own individuality.”

Since arriving from France 28 years ago (where he’d performed in the mime company of Etienne Decroux), Yakim has made New York his home. A member of the original faculty of the Juilliard School of Drama (where pupils included Kevin Kline, Patty Lupone, Meryl Streep and Christopher Reeve), he went on to teach at the Yale Drama School--and currently juggles classes at Circle in the Square and Juilliard.

He also tours with wife Mina in the mime show, “Journeys” and, until 1987, taught and staged works at his New York Pantomime Theatre. Next spring, he’ll return to Los Angeles, to direct again at the Playhouse and teach an acting course at UCLA.

Meanwhile, Yakim is clearly enjoying the “Brel” reunion. “I used to say, ‘If I hear ‘Brel’ one more time, I will puke,’ ” he said. “But when I found out they were doing it here, I wanted to do it. The appeal is incredible; it’s almost physical. It gets you. It’s primal .”