Interview: Susanne Mack Is Celebrating the Sea in SEA LEGS at Pangea

Celebrated cabaret chanteuse Susanne Mack navigates a variety of calm and stormy nautical-themed tunes in the debut of her new cabaret show, “Sea Legs.” Joined by Jody Shelton on the piano, in “Sea Legs,” Ms. Mack musically navigates story and song through an unchartered collection of lively shanties, salty melodies, and other ocean-adjacent tunes. Susanne Mack is a regular in the NYC cabaret scene whose previous shows “Reconciliation” and “Fragments” received critical acclaim. 

BroadwayWorld's Stephen Mosher said that “Mack exudes a certain warmth that envelops the listener in a cocoon of musical love.”

Below, read a conversation with Mack about Sea Legs, which added two more performances following a successful debut this fall. It will play Thursday April 25th and May 16th at 7 pm at Pangea.

How would you describe Sea Legs?

Sea Legs consists of 17 songs and stories that are all inspired by the sea. The show covers a wide range of material (Noel Coward, Richard Thompson, Jesse Winchester, Amanda Mc Broom, Loudon Wainwright, Barry Gibb, Sam Smith, Irving Berlin, Fred Neil etc.), styles and languages, and is meant to be a reflection of the everchanging ocean with all its different colours, textures and moods. The sea teaches us so many things and we need to learn how to swim in this wild and uncharted territory and get our SEA LEGS on!

What was the process of putting the show together like? 

The process of putting the show together was quite daunting as there are so many great songs with a nautical theme! The task was to find familiar ones and also look for the unexpected, obscure songs that make the show interesting and poignant. My musical director Jody Shelton, who also sings in some of the songs, did a great job putting together the song order of this collection.

How have the first ones gone so far?

We opened the show in November 2023 at Pangea and had two sold out shows. We continued our run at Pangea in February and March and were then invited to play at the Crazy Coqs in London, which was such a treat! The show has been very well received and we added two more shows at Pangea on April 25 and March 16. 

What draws you to singing about the sea?

I could go on and on about my love for the ocean!! I grew up in a small, landlocked part of Germany and I can't say I inhaled the sea from the beginning. But I fell in love with it and there is nothing like a day by the sea - it always lifts me up and it reminds me I am part of something bigger. The ocean provides so many things: pleasure, adventure, escape, freedom. While listening to the ebbs and flows of the waves, it also provides reassurance. As I say in my show: the ocean is a big healer. 

What's coming up next for you?

After the current run at Pangea we are hoping to take Sea Legs out of town again, hopefully to a nice sea resort this summer. We are already planning a new show in the fall, but always happy to reprise Sea Legs; we love to play this show!   

Tickets for Sea Legs are available online here. Online tickets are $25. Tickets at the door are $30 (cash only). There is a $20 minimum per person (food or beverage).

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