Abigail Breslin, the 14-year-old star of the TIFF film Janie Jones, got a little education in the less-than-glamorous life of a club singer when she took the stage at Toronto's legendary Horseshoe Tavern Tuesday night.
First, her co-star Alessandro Nivola had to sing over some major feedback. Then the Irish singer/songwriter Gemma Hayes, whose music appears in the film, was saluted by a fan with a boozy-sounding, “I love you, Emma!”
“It’s Gemma, but thanks,” Hayes said, grinning. “Good one.”
When it was her turn at the mike, Breslin (pictured above) sang in a voice that showed some promise but was uneven enough that she shouldn’t quit her day job just yet. Between songs, though, she grinned with such relief, and spoke so sweetly -- “I’m very excited to be singing. It’s the first time I’ve sung in front of people” – that any glitches were forgiven.
