The Cabaret Chronicles: Ciao Italy, Secret Society, Bill Boggs, and More!

Happy Weekend!  It's been another exciting week in the world of NYC nightlife, starting with last Saturday's Ciao Italy festival in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  Conceived to create a bridge between the historic Italian community in Williamsburg and the new generation of artists living and working in the area, this fantastic festival featured theater, dance, music, and visual arts.  The evening was kicked off by Domenico D'Erasmo, a native  of Bari, Italy, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1967 and has lived in Williamsburg ever since!  Mr. D'Erasmo treated the appreciative audience to a number of well-loved Italian songs on his baritone horn and set the tone for a fun evening!  This was followed by a high-energy "Tammurriata," performed by participants in the DanceDrama Intensive Summer Workshop and choreographed by Anabella Lenzu.  Next up, it was opera singer Luciano Lamonarca, who wowed the crowd with his "Nessun Dorma" and other Italian favorites.  Following Mr. Lomonarca's set, actress Lauren LoGiudice enchanted the audience with a 20-minute monologue about her Italian heritage and her adventures while trying to achieve success as an actress in Italy.  Next was a beautiful dance, "Amore," which was set to Mozart's "Deh vieni, non tardar" from Le Nozze di Figaro. It was performed with great beauty and passion by Lucia Campoy and choreographed by Annabella Gonzalez.  Opera singer Paolo Buffagni took the stage next, and brought the house down with his "E lucevan le stele" from Tosca!  Next, cabaret and Broadway veteran Marta Sanders delighted the crowd with two rousing medleys of showtune favorites.  Following Ms. Sanders was a moving dance-theater piece exploring themes of immigration, roots, and memory.  Choreographed by Anabella Lenzu and performed to great effect by the DanceDrama Dancers, this piece brought the audience to its feet!  I had the great joy of closing the show, which I did with some favorite Italian-flavored standards like "That's Amore" and "Volare."  After the show, audience members were encouraged to stay for refreshments and look at the beautiful photography on display.  Photographers Todd Carroll and Robert Forlini both had photographs of Italian festivals on display.  Mr. Carroll's were taken in Italy, and Mr. Forlini's were taken in America, so it was quite interesting to look at both sets of work and take in the similarities and the differences between the festivals in the two different countries.  All in all, it was a very special night and I thoroughly enjoyed taking in all of the different forms of talent that were showcased! 

On Monday evening, I had a spectacular entertainment double-header.  First, I headed to Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola for Darcy James Argue's Secret Society.  Formed in 2005 and led by "composer/conductor/ringleader" Darcy James Argue, this 18-piece big band brings the orchestras of the Swing Era roaring into the 21^st century.  If these bands had continued to grow and evolve, one would imagine that they'd end up sounding pretty darn close to what James has created.  Drawing on all kinds of musical influences, from rock to jazz to classical, James has found his own unique voice in the modern jazz world, while tipping his cap to his big-band predecessors.  Monday evening was my first time hearing the band live, and I very much look forward to hearing them again soon!  The songs played that evening were "Induction Effect" (featuring Matt Holman on flugelhorn), " Dymaxion" (a tribute to architect/inventor Buckminster Fuller, featuring Josh Sinton on baritone sax), "Hard Up On The Down Low" (featuring Ingrid Jensen on trumpet), "Obsidian Flow" (featuring Erica Von Kleist on alto sax), "Drift" (featuring Mark Small on tenor sax), and "The Perils of Empire."  It thoroughly enjoyed myself - not only was the collective musicianship outstanding, but it was truly refreshing to hear such innovative, exciting, inspired music.  After the show, I headed over to Birdland for the second half of Jim Caruso's Cast Party.  This weekly open mic is my favorite nightlife hangout, and with good reason - it's always a blast and you never know who's going to show up and do a number!  On my way in, I saw Paul Shaffer, who had evidently just brought the house down with a great rock number!  With him was his good friend, Tom Leopold (who was a writer on Seinfeld!), who also delighted the crowd with one of his original ditties.  Although I was disappointed to have missed Paul and Tom, there was still a ton of talent in the room when I got there and I had a great time listening to folks like Hilary Kole, Lianne Marie Dobbs, Charlie Pluth, Cassandra Kubinski, and William Blake!  There was also a phenomenal comedy-music sibling act from Germany, Die Roten Punkte, who had people falling out of their chairs laughing!  Host Jim Caruso was terrific as usual, as was the Cast Party Symphony Orchestra (Tedd Firth on piano, Steve Doyle on bass, and Dustin Jensen on drums). 

Tuesday evening, I headed over to the Triad for Bill Boggs' Talk Show Confidential, the one-man show by four-time Emmy Award-winning television interviewer Bill Boggs.  Filled with hilarious, behind-the-scenes stories about Mr. Boggs' career, this show flew by in what felt like the blink of an eye.  Immediately likeable, Mr. Boggs is able to make the entire audience feel as if they're attending a party at his home and he's simply sharing some of his favorite stories about his job.  It never feels like a "show," but it is clearly well planned, well structured, and very well rehearsed - it moves along absolutely seamlessly!  Throwing in stories about Nixon, Natalie Wood, Sarah Ferguson, Martha Stewart, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Frank Sinatra among others, Mr. Boggs has the audience in the palm of his hand from the word "go" and it's a fascinating ride!  I had an absolute ball!    

That's about all I managed to squeeze in this week, but check back in two weeks for a brand new article (I'll be taking the holiday weekend off next week)!

Coming up this week (and next!)... 

Monday, June 28^th:  Jim Caruso's Cast Party at Birdland.  Hosted by Jim Caruso, this fantastic open mic runs from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. but make sure to get there early to sign up if you want to sing!  

Friday, July 2^nd:  MetroJam at The Metropolitan Room!  I have the honor of hosting this monthly open mic and we'll be kicking off the holiday weekend with some musical fireworks!  Singer/actress Rena Strober (most recently seen Off-Broadway in White's Lies) will be the special guest, and the fabulous MetroJam Band (John DiPinto on piano, Ritt Henn on bass, and Bobby Sher on drums) will be providing top-notch accompaniment!  MetroJam runs from 10 p.m. - midnight. 

Monday, July 5^th: 6:00 p.m. - Jerry Cherry and the Funk Church at Rockwood Music Hall.  Rock singer/guitarist Jerry Cherry is joining forces with funk, neo soul band Funk Church (fronted by Chubby Checker's son, Shan Egan) for what is sure to be one hot musical event! 

10:00 p.m. - Jim Caruso's Cast Party at Birdland. 

Pictured: Darcy James Argue