Bobby Conte Thornton: Blame It on My Youth

Steve Murray | June 6, 2015

Bobby Conte Thornton

Blame It on My Youth

Venetian Room, San Francisco, CA, May 31, 2015

Reviewed by Steve Murray for Cabaret Scenes

Bobby Conte Thornton, a winner of the first Bay Area Cabaret Teen Idol Contest in 2011, made a huge impression at a tribute show to Marvin Hamlisch in 2013. Now a seasoned 22, Thornton made his official Bay Area Cabaret debut before a packed house at San Francisco’s fabled Venetian Room and stamped his ticket to future successes.

With Broadway’s Kevin Stites as musical director, Thornton breezed through a selection of songs reflecting his introduction to life, love and the refreshing hope and optimism of the young. Opening with Oscar Levant/Edward Heyman’s “Blame It on My Youth”/”I Could Be in Love with Someone Like You” (Jason Robert Brown), one is instantly struck by Thornton’s beautiful tenor—strong and expressive, with amazing control and phrasing that belies his age. A natural actor, Thornton is immensely comfortable onstage and is free to be both goofy and charming at the same time. His take on William Finn’s “I’m Not That Smart” from The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (with special lyrics combining personal anecdotes) and a gender-bending comic take on “There Are Worse Things I Could Do” from Grease presage a certain Broadway performer. It doesn’t hurt that Thornton is over six feet tall with stunning good looks.

Two songs by Edges: A Song Cycle songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (“Along the Way” and “Part of a Painting”) explore coming-of-age and self-expression. Sting’s “Practical Arrangement” (cut from The Last Ship) and Peter Allen/Carole Bayer Sager’s bittersweet “I’d Rather Leave While I’m in Love” once again show a performer wise beyond his years. And what would this rising star be without throwing in a little Broadway royalty? Stephen Sondheim’s song of desire to see the world and all its experiences, “Take Me to the World,” is a perfect encore for Thornton. Watching him perform with all his optimism, hope and endless possibility makes everyone feel reborn. Bravo, and thanks.

Tags: Along the Way, American Songbook, Bay Area Cabaret Teen Idol Contest, Benj Pasek, Blame It on My Youth, Bobby Conte Thornton, Broadway Musicals, Cabaret, Cabaret Reviews, Cabaret Scenes, Carole Bayer Sager, Clubs, Composers, Edges: A Song Cycle, Edward Heyman, Grease, Great American Songbook, I Could Be in Love with Someone Like You, I’d Rather Leave While I’m in Love, I’m Not That Smart, Jason Robert Brown, Jazz, Justin Paul, Kevin Stites, lyricists, Marvin Hamlisch, Musicals, Nightclubs, Oscar Levant, Part of a Painting, Peter Allen, Popular Song, Practical Arrangement, Revues, San Francisco, Show Tunes, Singers, Songbook, Standards, Stephen Sondheim, Steve Murray, Sting, Supper Clubs, Take Me to the World, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Last Ship, There Are Worse Things I Could Do, Venetian Room, Venues, Vocalists, William Finn