PicksInSix Review: Luminaire - Cabaret ZaZou - Broadway in Chicago
LUMINAIRE: I dare you. Be entertained!
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy
Returning to the opulent Spiegeltent for the new Cabaret ZaZou production of “Luminaire” is like returning home again. From the first moment that I walked into the 14th floor of the Cambria hotel in 2019 for a tour with Executive Producer Stan Feig, I was awestruck that this incredibly creative venue was about to open and serve as a year-round entertainment showcase like none other in Chicago.
So what could be better than returning to see a new and superbly-paced show chocked full of death-defying acts that all revolve around a three-part story of love found, love lost and found again, and the concept that we should all create our own shaft of light with gratitude and forgiveness.
There’s no better example of this theme than the host, star and bellhop-turned-cabaret-star Frank Ferrante and his new persona Fortissimo, a stand-in for ‘The Caesar’ who unexpectedly could not make the opening night press performance. We learn that the exuberant Ferrante, a national comic treasure, has been thrust into action as an unlikely replacement. With his surgeon-like comedic skills, Ferrante interacts with nearly everyone in the audience, inviting them – in fact, daring them – to enjoy themselves. The only not-so-subtle difference here from the highly entertaining and long-running Teatro ZinZanni is that around every corner, from the host stand to curtain call, Ferrante is everywhere – the comic centerpiece of a gem of a night of food, fun, music and explosive circus acts.
The comedy relies on that audience involvement who are the unsuspecting partners in Ferrante’s devilry. It serves to pace the extraordinary international artists of the cabaret featuring the sweet and sultry vocal star Liv Warfield, dynamo James Harkness, Trio Vertex—Cornelius Atkinson, Isis Clegg-Vinell and Nathan Price—who fly and spin in a sensuous series of trapeze acts, contortionist extraordinaire Ulzii Mergen and the astounding Ukrainian-born Viktor Kee, who is among the world’s top jugglers. The circus and aerial acts are woven together with a pop score and the vocal love of Warfield and Harkness. (Warfield also provides some aerial wizardry of her own that will blow you away.)
Cabaret ZaZou’s “Luminaire” is written and directed by Dreya Weber. Debra M. Bauer returns to the Spiegeltent with a stunning array of costumes for the company who double up early on as strolling entertainment while Ferrante darts in and out as the bellhop. Music director/bass player Chuck Webb leads a terrific house band that includes the likes of Jose Martinez(drums/percussion), Phil Seed(guitar/mandolin), Jon Negus(woodwinds) and the legendary Theodis Rodgers, Jr.(piano/keyboards) whose featured performance with Warfield after Blue Plate Chicago’s scrumptious four-course dinner will touch your soul.
At the opening press night, a few of our brethren were brought forward by Ferrante for fun in the center ring. There are also some up-close surprises for the patrons seated nearby. That tender moment when Warfield and Rodgers, Jr. stole the spotlight centerstage seemed strangely familiar, as if we were briefly back in time a 100 years ago when life was as simple as a beautiful ballad sung in an exquisite concert hall. Show dates are already selling fast for what is sure to be the centerpiece of Chicago’s Loop entertainment for the holiday season. I dare you. Be entertained.
PHOTO|Cabaret ZaZou-Broadway in Chicago
Cabaret ZaZou
presents
LUMINAIRE
Speigeltent ZaZou
Cambria Hotel
Randolph Street
Chicago
OPEN RUN
WEBSITE
BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
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CONVERSATION with Frank Ferrante ‘The Caesar’ - July 2021
PicksInSix® Review - Ed Tracy - Teatro ZinZanni Love, Chaos and Dinner- August 2019
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