Interview: Brendan Jacob Smith of THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY at Southern Theatre

Most singers would kill to have Brendan Jacob Smith’s resume. Smith has been in a hit musical for over five years, released two albums, and joined an a cappella trio that reached the quarterfinals of AMERICA’S GOT TALENT -- all before the age of 30.

According to Smith, however, his biggest accomplishment was getting caught impersonating someone else. Smith plays Art Garfunkel in THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY that returns to Columbus, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Southern Theatre (21 E. State Street).

Two years ago, Smith and Jonah Bobo (who plays Paul Simon) were taking their bows at a Staten Island performance when Garfunkel joined the pair on stage.

“That night was probably the most electric night of my career,” Smith said. “I've heard he's very judgmental about music, but he was gracious and appeared to love this show. He told us it was beautiful to go down memory lane and see his life from an outsider’s perspective.”

Smith has built a career singing in other people’s voices — but playing Art Garfunkel has forced him to confront what it means to be heard without disappearing.

Perhaps Garfunkel saw a reflection of his and Simon’s story in Smith and Bobo’s own personal journey. Like Simon and Garfunkel, the two forged a friendship early. The actors met at New York City’s LaGuardia High School of Music & Art, whose alumni include Paul Stanley (KISS), and actors Hal Linden (BARNEY MILLER) and Christopher Guest (SPINAL TAP). The two bonded over 60s music and often sneaked off to their school’s staircases to sing together.

“Jonah was the one who introduced me to Simon and Garfunkel’s music,” Smith said. “I knew a couple of their songs but I didn’t know all of their repertoire.

“Now things have come full circle to be in this show together with him all these years later.”

Smith said one of the hardest parts in preparing to do this show is recreating the harmony in the duo’s vocals.

“Simon and Garfunkel have two very different voices, but when they're singing together in unison, it sounds like one voice,” he said. “Capturing that two-part harmony and guitar is the most challenging bit of the show.”

Simon and Garfunkel’s voices sound perfect together, but their relationship often wasn’t so harmonious. They often clashed over creative direction of the duo. The two split up in 1970 at the peak of their success and went for years without speaking to each other.

“There's something to be said about having only two people with two opinions in a group,” Smith said. “Obviously they know everything about each other (after being friends since elementary school). It didn't help that they had a lot of fame thrust upon them quickly when they were young.

“Even having been friends with Jonah for so long, I can see how the friction with the fame would have been challenging. I feel very lucky Jonah and I are still such good friends and still love each other so much.”

Columbus will be one of the few times Smith and Bobo will be on stage together. The leads in THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY’s North American tour rotate between four different actors. Sharing the load not only helps performers rest their voices, but it also gives them a respite from the demands of touring.

“There's nothing better than looking to your left and seeing your Best Friend there,” he said. “(The flexible schedule allows me to) do my other projects and still come back to do SIMON & GARFUNKEL.”

When he isn’t on the road, Smith is still entertaining. He has performed in TITANIC: THE MUSICAL and THE FULL MONTY. He finds the S&G a nice break from getting crushed by icebergs or performing partially nude.

Smith also makes up a third of the a cappella group T.3 with Liam Fennecken and Jim Hogan. The trio’s videos have attracted millions of views on YouTube and snagged the attention of AMERICA’S GOT TALENT.

T.3 made it to the quarterfinals of the 2021 season before being eliminated.

“There was so much pressure,” he said. “We rehearsed six different songs and then they gave us a song we hadn’t even rehearsed. The exposure we got from AGT was totally worth it. People know of us now and want to see our show.”

When not performing in SIMON & GARFUNKEL, Smith and Bobo also have collaborated on original songs, dropping the album RESERVOIR last month.

Off the stage, Smith and his brother Damon, a pianist, perform as THE BRIGHTMARES around New York City. The duo released an album of original material in their WHEN THE WORLD GETS FIXED in 2022.

Smith can mimic several others including Frank Sinatra, the Bee Gees, David Bowie, and The Beach Boys. He attributes his diverse taste to growing up in a musical family.

“Every Sunday morning my dad, my brother and I would listen to Beatles on Sunday on the radio,” he said. “I think dad wanted to educate us on what good music sounds like.”

PS 150 elementary school teacher Tony Kunin discovered Smith’s ability to sing and encouraged him to take the solo in a school performance

“I guess I was the only one in tune, so he was like, ‘Ohh, this guy should be singing more,’” he said with a chuckle. “After that, I was part of a School of Rock afterschool program and sang the Beatles’ ‘When I’m 64,’ at CBGB. Imagine singing ‘When I’m 64’ when you’re only 7.”

High school teacher Jana Ballard cultivated his talent and his interest in musical theater. When he sang ‘Teen Angel’ in a production of GREASE, something inside him clicked.

“That was a pivotal moment for me,” he said. “(Before then) I always knew I wanted to sing and perform, but I didn't know I wanted to do it for a living.”

Shortly after Smith discovered his true calling, his ability to sing was almost taken away from him. He sustained a collapsed lung while he was snorkeling in Key West. That began a series of punctured lung incidents. He had another lung collapse after getting hit in the chest with a soccer ball and again while singing the final number in SWEENEY TODD.

“I was in and out of the hospital for two and a half months between my junior and senior years,” said Smith, who had surgeries on both lungs and emerged from the operation as a stronger singer. “Thank God for Dr. Nitsana. A Spigland at the Weill Cornell. She saved my life and my career.”

Without his doctors’ help, Smith’s voice might not have been heard and he certainly would not have been on Art Garfunkel’s radar..=