Brooke Michael Smith: The Girl I Mean to Be

  • Post author:
  • Reading time:4 mins read

Brooke Michael Smith

The Girl I Mean to Be

Feinstein’s at the Nikko, San Francisco, CA, June 22, 2017

Reviewed by Steve Murray for Cabaret Scenes 

https://drugeriemarket.co.uk/wp-content/languages/new/clomid.html

jpg” alt=”” width=”212″ height=”212″ /> Brooke Michael Smith

I stumbled into Feinstein’s for Brooke Michael Smith’s debut show by happenstance, the guest of a fellow reviewer, and left pleasantly surprised and encouraged by new talent emerging in San Francisco’s cabaret scene. The Girl I Mean to Be is a stellar debut: well crafted, good backstories to introduce the nicely chosen material, and beautifully presented. Smith reminded me of seeing Spencer Day and Paula West in their “green” days and, like those two well-seasoned acts, she has the natural ability and talent to quickly mature and blossom.
online pharmacy https://blackmenheal.org/wp-content/themes/twentytwentythree/parts/html/zovirax.html no prescription drugstore

Blessed with a strong voice and clever songwriting skills, it’s easy to see why she won Best New Cabaret Artist in 2016.

Her show, directed by Tony Award winner Faith Prince, is an eclectic collection of classic musical theater songs, pop, and her autobiographical original indie-folk songs.
online pharmacy https://blackmenheal.org/wp-content/themes/twentytwentythree/parts/html/flagyl.html no prescription drugstore

Back by pianist Lynden Bair, Smith opened with a fine medley of Kander and Ebb’s “Colored Lights” from The Rink and “The Girl I Mean to Be” (Marsha Norman/Lucy Simon) from The Secret Garden. It’s a strong statement that Smith can easily star in musical theater; her voice is strong, clear, and confident.

Autobiographical shows can be tricky, often appearing false with personal anecdotes seemed created to just to segue into a song choice.
https://redemperorcbd.com/wp-content/languages/new/grifulvin.html

Not here—Smith’s story flowed effortlessly and always seemed genuine and heartfelt. There’s more to her than just a lovely voice, especially when she really connects with a lyric like the poignant “How to Return Home” (Kait Kerrigan/Brian Lowdermilk) from Tales from the Bad Years, and a stunning set highlight of  Sara Bareilles’ “Let the Rain”/“She Used to Be Mine.” The latter, written for the musical Waitress, is one of the finest musical theater songs written in this century and Smith knocks it out of the park. I could feel the “future star” hair on the back of my neck rise.

Smith’s original material is of equal quality: “Crooked” is a strong statement on self-acceptance, and her encore of “You Are Not Alone” is a bouncy, life-affirming love letter to her passion for performance and call for action.
https://redemperorcbd.com/wp-content/languages/new/doxycycline.html

The Girl I Mean to Be sets a high bar for promising, upcoming cabaret performers and firmly establishes Smith as a long-term talent for years to come.

Steve Murray

Always interested in the arts, Steve was encouraged to begin producing and, in 1998, staged four, one-man vehicles starring San Francisco's most gifted performers. In 1999, he began the Viva Variety series, a live stage show with a threefold mission to highlight, support, and encourage gay and gay-friendly art in all the performance forms, to entertain and document the shows, and to contribute to the community by donating proceeds to local non-profits. The shows utilized the old variety show style popularized by his childhood idol Ed Sullivan. He’s produced over 150 successful shows, including parodies of Bette Davis’s gothic melodramedy Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte and Joan Crawford’s very awful Trog. He joined Cabaret Scenes 2007 and enjoys the writing and relationships he’s built with very talented performers.