NEW YORK CITY

Rebecca resided in New York City for many years during her career, and appeared in numerous concert and cabaret appearances, including her solo debut in support of her first recording, Wide Awake and Dreaming, at the West Bank Café Laurie Beechman Theatre. Other appearances included five seasons with Encores!, the Mabel Mercer Foundation’s NYC Cabaret Convention, the Vox Series at New York City Opera, Lyrics and Lyricists, the Ira Gershwin Centennial at Carnegie Hall and Panache Encore, among others. She presented solo concerts at Birdland Jazz, Mama Rose’s and Don’t Tell Mama.
 
Reviews
 
Cabaret Scenes Magazine  Peter Leavy
“Of the many extraordinary aspects of Rebecca Spencer's debut cabaret performance, perhaps the most wondrous is that her dazzling showpiece at Mama Rose's, Wide Awake and Dreaming, was indeed her very first on a cabaret stage. Alluring in a black, off-the-shoulder gown, she matched her cover girl looks with talent, making good use of a theater background to infuse her singing with dramatic staging and understanding. Spencer has a glorious voice--a soaring, affecting and versatile soprano, equally effective in the lower registers. From opera to Cole Porter, Spencer was in her element."
 
Back StageBistro Bits: Divas and Decadence  John Hoglund
“Speaking of things that compel, I mean it as the highest praise when I say that newcomer Rebecca Spencer may be the most distracting performer in cabaret. I find it almost impossible to stay in the room with her. Her lilting soprano and subtle shadings, along with amazing musical director Philip Fortenberry's rhapsodic arrangements, made her two recent shows at Mama Rose's one of the most impressive debuts I've seen in a decade. Every crystal-toned note took the listener on an intensely dreamy journey of discovery. While she is a Broadway veteran (she played Lady Beaconsfield and Guinevere in Jekyll and Hyde) and new to intimate rooms, I predict this golden-voiced lady is going to be a household name in a short time.
 
Celebrating the release of her beautiful new CD, Wide Awake and Dreaming, which I glowingly reviewed on Jan 2, the SRO house, filled with many theatre folks, cheered her on as if she could do no wrong. They were right. And it doesn't hurt that she bears a resemblance to Nancy LaMott. A lyric soprano with a plaintive pianissimo that can melt to a whisper, Spencer shined singing songs from her album. The symmetry between her and musical director-arranger Fortenberry couldn't be better. The show was an example of collaboration at its finest. At times, it all resembled a recital of art songs fused with lighthearted musical comedy. She's warm, with a delightful presence that lights up the room. Like any newcomer to cabaret making the change from the large stage to an intimate venue, Spencer had to adjust to the confines of cabaret. She did so with ease. Her voice is such that, like LaMott, she could sing the phone book in Gregorian chant and it would work. She has wisely nailed the art of delicate phrasing, turning a simple reading of a fusion of 'On My Way to You' (Alan and Marilyn Bergman-Legrand) and 'I've Got You Under My Skin' (Porter) into a masterpiece of passion. Remember the name and do not miss her next show while she's still affordable.”