Feature: The Days Of Cabaret Gratitude - Day Nineteen - The Architects

The Days Of Cabaret Gratitude

Day Nineteen: The Architects - Michele Brourman and Amanda McBroom

“The Rose” and “My Favorite Year” are two of the most beautiful and frequently sung songs in the lexicon of the vocalists of cabaret and concert.  They have been performed, live, and they have been sung in the studio, and it doesn’t look like the artists of the industry are going to stop any time soon.  They are lush, lovely, and a little heartbreaking; they are serious compositions that give performers multitudes of layers, exploration, and acting choices.  And they were written by two women who take their work seriously.  Indeed, Michele Brourman (“My Favorite Year” with Karen Gottlieb) and Amanda McBroom (“The Rose”) take their work and their artistry very seriously.  But what they do NOT take seriously is themselves.  And that sometimes comes as a bit of a surprise to some people.  Maybe those people think that any person that could compose “The Rose” or “My Favorite Year” might be a person that takes themself seriously.  In the case of Amanda McBroom and Michele Brourman, I might offer that the supposition of seriousness could be dispelled with a glance at the photo below:

Amanda McBroom and Michele Brourman call each other their best friend.  They do it off the stage, they do it on the stage, and their association is such that it has achieved a kind of legendary status.  They have been songwriting partners and best pals for more than a minute.  Says Michele, "One of the things I'm most grateful for is the friendship that Amanda and I share, dating back to 1974 - almost 50 years!  Creatively and professionally, it is an immense gift.  And personally our friendship is even MORE of a treasure!"  The duo has created an overwhelming catalogue of music together, composing songs that are sung on albums, performed in clubs, and recorded for movie soundtracks.  They have built up a reputation (as solo artists and as collaborators) of utmost respect in the industry - indeed, many singers refer to either or both of these women as their idol, as their preferred songwriter, and as performers who create master classes in storytelling when they are on the stage.  Awards have been bestowed to both women, as individuals and as a team, and their shows always sell out.  Brourman and McBroom are that to which the cabaret creatives aspire.  Using all the parts of themselves and their relationship, they have lit the way for the people who have come before them… especially the women.

The cabaret industry is not a new one, but it sometimes feels new because it is constantly evolving.  In the nineteen-eighties, the art form of cabaret leaned pretty heavily on the shoulders of the women, and Amanda McBroom was one of the women doing the heavy lifting.  With Michele acting as her Musical Director, singing partner, guest soloist, and onstage bestie, they have been blazing trails for the women who want to emulate them.  McBroom and Brourman have been leading by example, lo, these many years, showing artists and audiences how cabaret can (and should) be performed, showing women how to step into the light, showing people who to be right and proper collaborators, and then giving them the songs with which to demonstrate their skills.  That’s some serious work, right there, and for these last fifty years, the Mary and Rhoda of cabaret have been getting it done while keeping it fun, and that’s something for which we can all be grateful.

Read a Broadway World Cabaret review of the recent McBroom/Brourman show HERE.

Amanda released a single in 2021, SEND IN THE CLOWNS, and another in 2023, ALMOST, written and performed with Ann Hampton Callaway.

Amanda will appear at The Purple Room in Palm Springs January 12th and 13th WITH Michele Brourman!  They will be doing their SUCH GOOD FRIENDS show.  Information and reservations HERE.

Michele would like to draw attention to the following: 

Wendy Lane Bailey is doing her performance at the United Solo Festival this Sunday, Dec. 19th at 7pm.  It's called: "Remembering My Dreams: The Michele Brourman Songbook."  I'm so thrilled!  She's a gorgeous singer, and her director, Omar Sangare, is doing beautiful things with the staging.   Tickets available HERE.

(personal note: I can't be there because my son Luke and his band Anamanaguchi are doing a sold-out concert this weekend at the Wiltern Theatre here in LA.  They've written the music for the new Netflix series "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off" - which is being released this weekend as well.  My older son Noah and his partner are coming down from SF for the show and for Thanksgiving.  It's all so special and so joyous! Talk about gratitude!)

Amanda and I wrote the title song for an indie documentary called "Show Her the Money" 
about women founders and funders in business.  I also composed the score for the movie.    
It's a terrific picture, wonderfully made, informative and inspiring.
It's been shown in three film festivals so far and won Best Documentary in all three of them!

We also wrote the theme song for a new TV pilot starring Irina Maleeva called 
"Sunny's Closet."   It's delicious and funny - and also carries some strong progressive ideas. 

We've just written a song for a feature film which we can't talk about yet,  but we're very excited!
Keeping toes, fingers, and eyes crossed!!

Michele's pronouns are she/her/hers.

Amanda’s pronouns are HUMAN.

Amanda can be found online at the following links:

Website:  HERE 

Instagram:  HERE 

Facebook:  HERE  

Twitter:  HERE  

YouTube:  HERE

Michele can be found online at the following links:

Website:  HERE 

Facebook:  HERE  

YouTube:  HERE

Photos by Stephen Mosher