Jazz vocalist Danielle Wertz (left) and rock-folk musician Robbie Schaefer will perform “Both Sides Now,” a tribute to Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell, at Chocolate Church Arts Center on Feb. 28. Courtesy of Chocolate Church Arts Center

If I’m being honest, I think I am more of a conceptual fan of both Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell than a die-hard fan. But when this concert/theater hybrid, “Both Sides Now,” came to me, it opened up a new vista into the work and impact of these titans. This intimate theatrical cabaret, starring and written by award-winning jazz vocalist Danielle Wertz and rock-folk musician Robbie Schaefer and developed at Washington, D.C.’s Signature Theatre, will have its regional premiere at the Chocolate Church Arts Center in downtown Bath at 7:30 p.m. next Friday, Feb. 28. Through music and stories, it seamlessly weaves together the lives and iconic music of longtime friends and one-time lovers, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, featuring 13 songs that soundtracked generations of collective yearning, including “A Case of You,” “Hallelujah,” “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Suzanne.” “Who By Fire” and “Both Sides Now.”

In the late ’60s, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell shared a brief but deeply influential relationship — a romance that left an indelible mark on both their music and personal lives. What makes their connection so fascinating is the way their artistic sensibilities intertwined. Both were poetic songwriters who brought an unparalleled depth of emotion and literary richness to their lyrics. Cohen, with his brooding, philosophical approach to songwriting, and Mitchell, with her confessional, intricate lyricism, created a dynamic that was complementary and challenging. Their relationship reportedly began after they met at the Newport Folk Festival in 1967, and while it was short-lived, its echoes can be heard in their respective works. Mitchell, for example, wrote “A Case of You,” which many speculate was partly inspired by Cohen, while Cohen’s song “Joan of Arc” is often interpreted as a reflection on his admiration for her.

Their brief time together symbolized a meeting of two towering musical minds, both pushing the boundaries of folk music into deeply personal and poetic territory. Even after they parted ways romantically, they maintained mutual respect for each other’s craft, with Cohen once describing Mitchell as “a great painter of words” and Mitchell referring to Cohen as “a Boudoir poet.” Their relationship may have been fleeting, but it left a lasting impact, not just on them but on the landscape of music itself.

Matthew Glassman is executive and artistic director at the Chocolate Church Arts Center.