Lucie Arnaz: Latin Roots

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Lucie Arnaz

Latin Roots

Feinstein’s at the Nikko, San Francisco, February 23, 2018

Reviewed by Steve Murray for Cabaret Scenes 

Lucie Arnaz

I’ve been watching entirely too much Olympic coverage this week. I found myself grading Lucie Arnaz’s show like I was a judge: technical merit, skill, choreography, music, costume. I was looking for deductions and found none. Arnaz gets a perfect 10 for this sparkling, emotionally riveting, well-crafted evening. Every component was spot on—the song selection, the accompaniment, her deliveries, and even her gorgeous coral, chiffon gown and well-chosen jewelry.

Blessed with the genes of legendary showbiz parents, these days Arnaz is trumpeting the legacy of father Desi Arnaz, reprising her sold-out Feinstein shows of 2016 which resulted in a live CD recording. The show is a loving homage to Desi, exhibiting a daughter’s pride and admiration for her father and mentor.

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Opening with the fast-paced “Rumba Matumba,” the singer takes the audience by the scruff of the neck and drags us along with her on a ride through her Latin heritage. Irving Berlin suggests a bender in Havana in “I’ll See You in C-U-B-A” before Arnaz launches into a medley of Latin location songs, including her father’s cover of “You Can in Yucatan.”

Interwoven between the anecdotes of Desi’s multi-talents and many achievements, Arnaz shares some wonderful musical stories about her growing up: her adolescent crush on Wayne Newton (“Johnny Angel”) and her first date with future husband Larry Luckinbill (“Blame It on the Bossa Nova”). The latter, as well as a medley highlighting her backup band (“Slap That Bass,” “Drum Crazy,” and “Alexander’s Ragtime Band”) showcases her supreme artistry, skill, and talents. Her voice is pitch perfect, her phrasing impeccable, her stage persona warm and congenial.

More highlights included “Quizás, Quizás, Quizás” (Osvaldo Farrés) and a stunning Billy Stritch arrangement of “It’s All Right with Me” (Cole Porter)/”Something’s Gotta Give” (Johnny Mercer). Backed by longtime friend/arranger/composer Ron Abel on keys, Patrick Klobas on bass, David Rokeach on percussion, and Jonathan Monahan on guitars, Arnaz not only celebrates the music of her father and his influences on her, but also provides a masterclass on the art of entertaining, whether it be before a large audience backed by a symphony or the intimate confines of Feinstein’s. Like her famous parents, she is a consummate, versatile multi-talent.

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This show is one of the finest cabaret offerings you’ll have the pleasure of attending. When she launches into an incendiary cover of Ernesto Lecouna’s “El Cubanchero,” you see a seasoned entertainer totally in command of her material, exuding confidence, passion and pride.

Steve Murray

Always interested in the arts, Steve was encouraged to begin producing and, in 1998, staged four, one-man vehicles starring San Francisco's most gifted performers. In 1999, he began the Viva Variety series, a live stage show with a threefold mission to highlight, support, and encourage gay and gay-friendly art in all the performance forms, to entertain and document the shows, and to contribute to the community by donating proceeds to local non-profits. The shows utilized the old variety show style popularized by his childhood idol Ed Sullivan. He’s produced over 150 successful shows, including parodies of Bette Davis’s gothic melodramedy Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte and Joan Crawford’s very awful Trog. He joined Cabaret Scenes 2007 and enjoys the writing and relationships he’s built with very talented performers.