Tell us about your tribute to Eartha Kitt. What can audiences who haven’t seen the show yet look forward to?
Eartha Kitt was an international star who gave meaning to the world versatile. She distinguished herself in film, theatre, cabaret, music and on television. She celebrated feline power with a sophisticated panache and a wink and a laugh.
She showed the world how to age not just gracefully, but magnificently. The challenge to recreate the legendary singer with her personality, voice and available attributes has been immensely rewarding. Playing a tigress, well, I do it with wit, grit and a sense of humour.
The show is playfully tongue-in cheek and the audience can expect an evening of sassy fun, harmless coquetry, survival, laughter and a timeless sense of continental allure.
The shows have been well attended and the season is extended until August 6. I know this type of music has enthralled a new generation of Kitt’s fans.

Tribute shows sometimes get a bad rap for supposedly not being original. What is your opinion on this matter? How do you try to keep things fresh?
Tribute shows are popular but not my style of entertainment. They are too commercial and the soul has gone out of it. It’s too repetitive. Personally, I like old style nightclub acts, the kind hardly anyone does anymore with clever arrangements, innuendos and where the performer alternates as singer, confident and comedienne.
There must be a message. You can have the greatest voice in the world, but if you are not a good interpreter, what’s the point? Just because a song is famous doesn’t mean I can connect to it. I have to feel I can give a good interpretation of a song before I will do it. I try to be innovative in my choice of material. I always love the songs that I choose and I have performed many different genres. Following the herd has never been my style.

What does Kitt’s music mean to you, personally?
In my age bracket, I can relate to her distinct individuality and flair for show business. I have always admired her determination, work ethic, joie de vivre, the odds she had to face and her dealing with life’s disappointments. Her arias of love have a message of “screw you” and Orson Welles called her the most exciting woman in the world.
She was above all else, a great entertainer. She had no issue with being a gay icon and empowered the gay community, who finally had the opportunity to get dressed up, go out and sing along. Her rich tailored repertoire of songs seems to fit my gravel voice, personality and sense of humour.

Do you have any particular favourite song that you love performing?
In this show, ‘All By Myself’ and ‘I Will Survive’ are my personal favourites. They are anthems. But if you like music hall and dirty torch songs, well, ‘I Want To Be Evil,’ a song about a good girl who wants to be bad, is the one for you and the reason that YouTube was invented.
I have been told that I can imitate her trademark growl to perfection and at present am the only one in the world to sing her material, in her own style. All the drag queens have been flocking to Beefcakes to check me out. It’s hilarious.

Tell us about Beefcakes, for the folks who might not be familiar with the venue as a performance space.
Beefcakes is an intimate supper club venue, a type of 1950s American-style bistro ideal for cabaret. It’s fun, young with a retro ambience and the nightclub atmosphere lends itself to this type of entertainment.

* ‘Pascal Sings Eartha Kitt’ runs at Beefcakes Studio 54, Sovereign Quay, 40 Somerset Road, Green Point until August 6. Book by visiting www.villapascal.co.za or www.danielepascal.co.za. For more information, call 021 975 2566 or 082 569 4147.