CABARET REVIEW : Samuels Needs Sharper Focus, Less Chaos

Singer Samantha Samuels--who prefers to be called “Sam”--has a list of performing credits that stretch from New York and San Francisco to London and Kuala Lumpur. Despite her far-ranging experience and transcontinental catalogue of rave reviews, however, Samuels’ opening at the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill on Wednesday night had some simple, down-to-earth performance problems.

The first was the question of identity. Ranging wildly from one style to another, Samuels played the roles, alternately, of femme fatale , Jewish American Princess, Broadway belter and Edith Piaf impressionist. That she was able to do most of these roles convincingly was not really the point. The missing element was Samuels herself, who seemed to linger just beneath the surface of the characterizations--technically adept, but emotionally unfocused.

The second problem was the way in which she programmed her material. Samuels has been fortunate to have the songwriting skills of Steven Shore (her manager) and Eric Vetro (her accompanist) to provide such excellent special numbers as “Vodka Tonic With a Twist” and “Love Me.” She also had the innate good taste to pick some of the best Jacques Brel songs (“If You Go Away,” with Rod McKuen’s lovely lyrics, and “On a Carousel”), as well as such off-the-wall pieces as the Cheers’ ‘50s classic “Black Denim Trousers.”

But bunching all these disparate songs together, along with an eccentric reading of “Fever,” an oddly noisy version of “God Bless the Child” and a Carol Burnett-like question-and-answer session with the audience resulted in a chaotically unfocused program that kept stepping on its own feet.

If Samuels intended to have this engagement function as a kind of large-scale showcase, the hodge-podge of songs and material made a certain show biz kind of sense. Agents and casting directors obviously like to be presented with a wide range of skills.

But Samuels is an artist with the talent and experience to function at the highest level of cabaret performance. She should be aiming at the stars, not the upper-level casting offices of Century City.

Samantha Samuels continues at the Cinegrill tonight, with shows at 9 and 11.