Shanara Gabrielle: Rated SG

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Shanara Gabrielle

Rated SG

The Gaslight Theater, St. Louis, MO, October 15, 2015

Reviewed by Chuck Lavazzi for Cabaret Scenes

Shanara-Gabrielle-Cabaret-Scenes-Magazine_212When he learned I was on my way to review a cabaret show, my cab driver launched into a lecture about how boring the entire genre was and how cabaret singers just kept recycling the same old Great American Songbook numbers. If he had seen the remarkable variety of songs in actress Shanara Gabrielle’s debut show, I think he might have revised his opinion.

The set list was, in any case, only one of the elements that made her show so entertaining.
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The pacing was crisp without feeling rushed, the ratio of patter to singing was just right, and pianist/Musical Director Steve Neal’s arrangements showed off Gabrielle’s impressive voice to good advantage

Most importantly, though, Gabrielle herself came across as a very smart, funny, and self-aware entertainer. Or at least she did once she got past her first two songs: “Kind of Woman” from Pippin and “Barefoot and Pregnant,” a snarky mock-country comment on her contemporaries back in Iowa who opted for the traditional family role. Taken together, they made her come across as a bit self-congratulatory.

Happily, the impression was quickly dispelled by her next two numbers: a sensitive reading of “Who Will Love Me as I Am?” (a powerful ballad from Side Show) and the hilariously goofy “Crabs Walk Sideways” (originally recorded by The Wayfarers but made famous by The Smothers Brothers). They constituted a smart and knowing comment on the difficulty of being your own woman (or indeed your own person) that completely won me over.

From there the show just went from strength to strength, with a kaleidoscope of songs from a variety of sources. My personal favorites were a bluesy rendition of “Baby Mine” (Dumbo), a not-quite-a cappella version of the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” with Neale singing the bass line, and perhaps the oddest sing-along choice ever: Tom Waits’ “Come on Up to the House,” from his 1999 Mule Variations LP.

Tying it all together were reprises of her opening number, “Everybody Says Don’t” from Sondheim’s early flop Anyone Can Whistle, emphasizing Gabrielle’s refusal to follow the beaten path in her life or her career.

I have observed in the past that a well-constructed cabaret show is in many ways like a one-act play in that it has a clear theme and dramatic arc. That being the case, experienced actors like Gabrielle have, in my view, something of a headstart. They understand the form and have a good feel for concepts like pacing and beats. It also helped that her show was directed by Ken Page, a veteran actor who is also a recognized cabaret pro in his own right.
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Shanara Gabrielle’s entertaining Rated SG was a one-night-only event presented as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival, but it was also a sold-out event, heavily attended by members of the local theater and critical community. So I’d be surprised if a repeat performance or two weren’t in the offing.

Chuck Lavazzi

Chuck Lavazzi is the producer for the arts calendars and senior performing arts critic at 88.1 KDHX, the host of The Cabaret Project’s monthly open mic night, and entirely to blame for the Stage Left blog at stageleft-stlouis.blogspot.com. He’s a member of the Music Critics Association of North America and the St. Louis Theater Circle. Chuck has been an actor, sound designer, and occasional director since roughly the Bronze Age. He has presented his cabaret show Just a Song at Twilight: the Golden Age of Vaudeville, at the Missouri History Museum and the Kranzberg Center.