‘Mostly Marlene’ – Kim David Smith travels back to the Weimer era

When Kim David Smith performs, the audience feels it. Smith, an Australian native who now calls New York City home, performs with an intensity that’s palpable. The openly gay singer has a particular affection for the Weimar era, that time between the end of World War I and the rise of the Nazis when artistic freedom flourished in Germany. He recreates that era whenever he sets foot on stage.

In his latest album release, “Mostly Marlene,” which was recorded live at Joe’s Pub in New York, Smith sings songs made famous by the late screen icon Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992), the German actress and songstress who began performing during the Weimar era, and whose stage persona emulated that era even after she moved to America and became a Hollywood star. But as the album’s title proclaims, it’s “