By Michael Barbieri****Celine Dion-meets Rocker Chick-meets Broadway Baby! Brie Cassil is all that and more! This woman has some serious chops and in her show, The Shape of Me, at The Green Room 42, she showed them off to a sold out house of family, friends and colleagues.
This vocal powerhouse is a singer, actress and composer here in New York City. She’s appeared Off-Broadway in The Marvelous Wonderettes, in Marty Thomas Presents DIVA: The Music of Celine Dion and she performs all over NYC with her rock band Rebel. This, however, was my first time seeing her and she simply blew me away!
True to her DIVA roots, Brie opened with Celine Dion’s smash hit, “The Power of Love,” with lovely, bell-like tones that transitioned smoothly into a tremendous power belt and made for a great first impression! After telling us she wanted to include a Celine song for “her gays,” who were obviously very appreciative, she went into “I Want to Break Free” by the rock band Queen, where she showed off her exquisite phrasing, including a subtle growl, which underscored the power of the lyric. She also surprised us with a quick costume change—the gown came off, revealing jeans and a breezy top, to which she added a hip leather jacket. Brie now was truly in Rocker Chick mode and she proved it with an all-out, balls-to-the-wall medley by P!nk.
So…Celine? Check! Rocker Chick? Check! But what about Broadway? Well, the next portion of the show included the sweet, simple “Castle on a Cloud” from Les Miserables, which she told us she had learned at age 3 from her Dad, as well as a selection from Beauty and the Beast and a duet from Jekyll & Hyde. For this number she shared the stage with her friend Corey Mach, featuring dramatic harmonies, showcasing both of their showstopping voices, along with her gorgeous upper register and sense of control.
Van Halen’s “Summer Nights” marked the first tiny negative note for me. While Brie’s voice sounded fantastic, even reminding me a bit of Heart’s Ann Wilson, I felt that her phrasing became just a little muddy and the electric guitar was perhaps a bit too loud, all of which caused me to lose the vocal. Aerosmith’s “Cryin’” won me back, however, with Brie showing off yet another talent—a solid bit of harmonica work on the instrumental. And in her spot-on version of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” I thought I heard a remarkable vocal amalgam of Celine Dion and Axl Rose from Guns ‘n’ Roses!
I found “Over The Moon” from Rent completely befuddling, but to be fair, it wasn’t Brie’s fault. I was not a fan of Rent and I guess I blocked out my experience with that show, forgetting that the song is actually a performance art piece by the character “Maureen.” The audience, on the other hand, loved it, laughing and mooing along with the story of a thirsty girl and a cow named Elsie. The show Starmites, however, is a little known favorite of mine and Brie’s rendition of “Superhero Girl” showed off her acting skills, as her tone went from sweet innocence to a mature belt and then back to the more childlike timbre. Just lovely! Continuing on in the superhero vein, a selection from the show Chix 6 and later, a medley by the singer Sia, showed more of the female empowerment, rock star swagger and wailing vocals that suited her perfectly!
As she began to wrap up the show, she introduced her excellent band: pianist Ben Rauhala, guitarist Lucas Shine, Mike Ciraulo ((her husband))on drums, backing vocalist Stephen Velasquez and Musical Director and bassist, Larry Cook. Throughout the evening their sound was tight as they shifted seamlessly between pop, rock and Broadway, supporting her nicely, with only a couple of small moments of excess.
The closer, “Endless Night,” from The Lion King, encapsulated the feel of the evening perfectly, with a great mix of Broadway and rock music, along with beautiful three-part harmony backups from her band. And after an enthusiastic standing ovation from the crowd, she left us on a high note—quite literally, as she gave her all in a medley from Stephen Schwartz’s long-running smash show, Wicked. Of that medley, all I can say is this: this young lady needs to play Elphaba! Like, right NOW!
The title of the show, The Shape of Me, seemed to me to refer to the wonderful mix of influences that helped make Brie Cassil into the performer and, in many ways, the person she is today. While so many in the audience knew her personally, and while I walked in thinking of her as a complete stranger, I left feeling as though I’d made a new friend. I should also mention that I’ve always been fascinated to learn what makes artists tick and I felt like Brie gave us all a window into her life and talent.
Leave a Reply