Presumably, during the seven-year period from the first time he sang until he made his professional debut at the age of ten, Michael Hughes was busy honing his act.  Had he been around a couple of generations earlier, he may well have usurped Mickey Rooney in those films with Judy Garland. One can easily imagine Hughes as Andy Hardy or Mickey Moran, forever smitten by Betsy or Patsy, but still capable of being the loyal son or organizing a musical worthy of Hollywood.

Canadian and a graduate of the prestigious International Cabaret Conference at Yale University, Hughes came flying in on the wings of an excellent program of songs associated with Judy Garland and more, including those written by Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim, Kander & Ebb, Jerry Bock & Sheldon Harnick.  Michael Hughes had stage presence enough for everyone in the room, and a winning smile which he employed liberally throughout the well-received show.

Accompanied by his superb Musical Director, Andrew Smithson, he opened with “(Dear Mr. Gable) You Made Me Love You (I Didn’t Want to Do It),” crooning not to an 8 x 10 of Clark Gable, but to a photo of the teen- aged Judy Garland. Garland was represented too by a medley of classic numbers written by one or both Gershwin brothers “Do It Again,” “But Not for Me” and “The Man That Got Away” (music by Harold Arlen), arguably the ultimate torch song. Combined with a good vibrato and effective phrasing, Hughes’s impressive skills produced a completely believable performance, the feeling evident in his voice and on his face.

One of the best turns of the evening was his rendition of “Maria,” a tender ballad which he’s performed in stage productions of West Side Story.  Having gotten the audience into a wistful mood, Hughes brightened things up by inviting them to sing along with him on “For Me and My Gal” and “The Trolley Song.”  There was zero hesitancy as the responsive crowd sang with great enthusiasm.  Hughes couldn’t possibly have anticipated that a table of young women, apparently all of them singers, would provide full-throated harmony for the last chorus of “The Trolley Song.”

Michael Hughes, who has an easy-going, accessible personality, talked about growing up with an obsession to perform and a need to identify with film legends such as Judy Garland. Gradually, he came to understand that he was different, to accept himself for who he was and to make it work.  Happily, everything blended perfectly in a predictable, but delightful, encore of “Over the Rainbow.”

Jerry Osterberg
Cabaret Scenes
September 10, 2012
www.cabaretscenes.org