Amanda Bruton

Still Uncastable

The Laurie Beechman Theatre, NYC, June 18, 2019

Reviewed by Chris Struck for Cabaret Scenes

Amanda Bruton is one of those rare talents that after burst into the limelight, is so endearing and poignant that she demands attention. Bringing a 2.0 version of a wonderful show I had the privilege to catch in its run at The Duplex, she upped the glam, ante, and theatrics with a heavy dose of in-your-face excitement. The underlying theme was something like, “I love performing, so don’t get in my way or I’ll go around you or through you.” That might be a slightly over-the-top interpretation, but ultimately, Bruton represented the best of cabaret by sharing her stage frustrations and successes.

She started off with the parodied lyrics of “Poor Unfortunate Souls” and belted “No more uncastable souls!” She was engaging and entertaining as she reminisced about old audition songs and made fun of the lyrics of “Thank Heaven for Little Girls” (Lerner & Loewe). (Yeah, she’s right, that song’s more than a little creepy.) She also pulled out a few classic Stephen Sondheim cabaret songs without much parody or spoof. Five months pregnant (impressive), she poured Capri Sun into an empty glass and acted out a raucous “Ladies Who Lunch” (Sondheim). She later followed that up with a doubly meaningful “Don’t Rain on My Parade” (Bob Merrill/Jule Styne), the lyrics of which could be applied to her show, her career, and to the fact that this was taking place during Pride month.

Bruton then serenaded her wife, singing the adept, creative Andrew Lippa “An Old Fashioned Love Story,” that had hilarious lines finishing each chorus. For example, in describing her wife in a crowded bar Bruton sang, “there’s a quality I like, she’s alone.” There were a lot of compliments in the song too, and clever lines like “that story of yore, they don’t tell anymore,” made it truly memorable—much like Bruton, who is a far cry from the once “uncastable” designation. She is now showing her success and crying out something along the lines of “turn on your TV to see me!”