Genes will win out, and Lucie Arnaz, a child of show business royalty, brought sparkle to spare to Birdland's stage. Her new show was Lulu's Back in Town, and Lucy and Desi's little girl showed off her own show biz stuff.

Arnaz delivered an eclectic song list, with "I'm Beginning to See the Light" in waltz-time paired with a languid, "Moonglow." A stylized belter, Arnaz roundly enunciates the lyrics and allows her flair for comedy to weave through the upbeat numbers. She plays to her strengths -- a sense of humor and spirited tunes with jazz flavoring. Her vibrato gives her renditions a unique sound and theatricality.

With casual patter, she tied the songs to events in her life. "The View From Here," which Arnaz wrote with Madeleine Stone, is an ironic "revenge in jazz." She paired a buoyant medley of Cole Porter's "It's All Right With Me" with "Something's Gotta Give" (Johnny Mercer), and chose the advice in Harry Connick, Jr.'s free-wheeling "Recipe For Love." She recalled her Drama Desk winning performance with "They're Playing Our Song." A softer note came with guest David Friedman singing his perceptive "We Can Be Kind."

There's no point in ignoring Lucie Arnaz' birthday since she was born the same year as "Little Ricky" on her parents' television hit, I Love Lucy, a spectacularly highly-rated episode watched by most of the country's TV viewers. Arnaz used her birthday as a celebration point in her July 17 show. She brought on her son, Joe Luckinbill, and his band for a couple of tunes. Daughter Kate Luckinbill, a charming actress/singer, included "Taylor, The Latte Boy," her brother accompanying on guitar.

Arnaz turned to her parents to close the show. For father, Desi Arnaz, she turned up the thermostat for a fiery "El Cumbanchero" and turned it down for the ballad "Quiereme Mucho." Saluting her mother, Lucille Ball, she chose Ron Abel's toned-down arrangement of "Hey, Look Me Over" from Wildcat (Coleman/Leigh).

With warmth and authority, Lucie Arnaz proves to be an engaging part of the Ball-Arnaz legacy.

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
July 17, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org