{"id":576,"date":"2011-03-25T07:07:00","date_gmt":"2011-03-25T10:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/66.147.244.61\/~twisithe\/?p=576"},"modified":"2023-07-09T20:45:36","modified_gmt":"2023-07-09T23:45:36","slug":"gabi-epstein-shows-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/?p=576","title":{"rendered":"Gabi Epstein Shows Off"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The name \u201cGabi Epstein<\/a>\u201d has become synonymous with the recent revitalization of Toronto\u2019s Cabaret culture by the musical theatre youth of the city, young performers fresh from post secondary education and training, bursting with energy, optimism and a fierce determination to forge their own unique careers even if it means producing (and sometimes writing) their own work. This musical theatre renaissance is epitomized in the success of Mitchell Marcus\u2019 fiercely ambitious, independent company for contemporary musicals, Acting Up Stage<\/a>, along with musical powerhouse Jenni Burke\u2019s tireless crusade to bring recognition and performance space to emerging artists. This has been integral to laying the groundwork for Toronto\u2019s own indigenous musical theatre community to flourish in the creation of work for and by Toronto artists separate and undaunted by the Mirvish monolith, proving that it no longer holds the monopoly on musical theatre in our city.<\/div>\n
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A performer who is continually reinventing herself, Epstein has been seen at Cabaret venues across Toronto including the Bread and Circus, the Berkeley Street Theatre, Statler\u2019s Piano Lounge, The Pantages, the Rex, The Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts and the Trane Studio. No two of her live performances are ever the same, but each one is rooted in her charming sense of humour, often poking fun at herself, and her big, bright, brassy voice that bursts forth with distinct joie de vivre and unapologetic assurance and buoyancy. Indeed, Gabi Epstein has a way of asserting her own place in Canada\u2019s musical theatre history, staking her claim, without egoism or vanity. There is something inspiring in Epstein\u2019s unfaltering dedication and her passion for forging out her own theatrical destiny and refusing to limit her dreams to the small box ideology that tends to trap so many Canadian artists who battle a sense of national inferiority that Epstein appears to be blithely devoid of. By aligning herself however subtly with the biggest legends of the American musical theatre, such as Barbra Streisand and Kristin Chenoweth, Epstein is setting a precedent for all Canadian musical theatre performers that such stardom, success and grandness can and should be possible here.<\/div>\n
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All this has culminated with her debut album Show Off<\/em>, which was released in late 2010 and produced by award winning Canadian jazz musician John Alcorn<\/a>. She begins with a song that reflects exactly this philosophy, \u201cYou\u2019re Gonna Hear From Me,\u201d (Dory and Andre Previn) previously recorded by Streisand, in which she asserts with the smooth, rich, coyly enticing voice of an ing\u00e9nue that the \u201cworld can\u2019t ignore her\u201d because she has a \u201csong that longs to be played\u201d and thus, in song, Epstein affirms her longevity in the cabaret genre, suggesting that this album, this song, this moment in time, is just the beginning for her and prophesizes greater and grander things to come. Her second song pushes this concept even further, with Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison\u2019s \u201cShow Off\u201d made famous in The Drowsy Chaperone<\/em> by Sutton Foster, which becomes joyfully and self-referentially ironic within this context. My only criticism of Epstein\u2019s tour de musical theatre force, wherein high belting, opera and scatting are executed with ease, is that she neglected to do the encore. <\/div>\n
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Epstein\u2019s softer soprano voice is lovely and full in her sensitive rendition of Torontonian composer Zachary Florence\u2019s song \u201cI Would Have Wanted,\u201d a song with gorgeous musical arc and deep and quite esoteric lyrics that conjure resonant images and emotions. John Alcorn\u2019s jazzy influence is most apparent in her unique renditions of Stephen Schwartz\u2019s \u201cCorner of the Sky,\u201d (from Pippin<\/em>) in which her voice, appropriately, freely soars, and \u201cI Am Changing\u201d from Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen\u2019s Dreamgirls<\/em>, a soulful and reflective self affirmation. She also gives a sultry, hauntingly slow rendition of \u201cUnusual Way\u201d from Maury Yeston\u2019s Nine<\/em>, where she milks all her most blissful notes to stunning effect, while infusing each line with powerful emotion. <\/div>\n
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One of the most important things to consider in the creation of a musical theatre and\/or jazz compilation album is what makes this particular one distinct to the artist who has produced it. Show Off<\/em> not only features re-imagined renditions of well known musical theatre songs, but it also has a few tracks that are entirely unique to Epstein such as Murray Grand\u2019s \u201cI\u2019d Rather Cha Cha Than Eat,\u201d which harkens back to the New York Cabaret scene of the 1950s or 60s, a heartfelt rendition of Jann Arden\u2019s \u201cGood Mother,\u201d and, my favourite, a vividly theatrical, blues rendition of \u201cCruella DeVil\u201d from Disney\u2019s 101 Dalmatians<\/em>, which shows off Epstein\u2019s playfulness and delightful charm. The album ends with sweetness and nostalgia in \u201cLaila Laila,\u201d a Jewish lullaby.<\/div>\n
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Show Off<\/em> is backed by the intense musical prowess of Mark Kieswetter on piano, Artie Roth on bass and Davide Direnzo on drums and percussion, but it is Epstein\u2019s voice that always takes dramatic center stage. As she sings as the album winds to a close, in the words of Tom Petty, she \u201cwon\u2019t back down\u201d and it is clear that Gabi Epstein is in it to win it and with such a promising debut, it looks like she just might. <\/div>\n
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Show Off<\/em> is available for purchase via Indiepool<\/a> and available on Itunes.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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