After forty years of performing and two decades of nightclub dates, it was about time for a San Francisco debut. Dripping in diamonds and showing a lot of leg, the ever-youthful Lucie Arnaz brought the house down with her sparkling, high energy nightclub act. Growing up in a musical household (father was famed Cuban bandleader Desi Arnaz) taught Lucie well and she obviously picked up a comic tip or two or a hundred from mother Lucille Ball. Put the two traits together and you get a singer with the knack for great arrangements and the pizzazz to knock out each number.

The opener, “Lulu’s Back in Town” highlighted her moves, segueing into the first of three of the evening’s amazing medleys, “I’m Beginning to See the Light” /“Moonglow.” The juxtaposition of the two tunes and the energy infused into them was startling and Arnaz made the very most of Billy Stritch’s fantastic arrangement. The set moved briskly, Arnaz working each number in a fast-paced, yet deliberate mode. Her voice is brassy and assured (reminiscent of a young Eydie Gorme), honed by years of stage work and the knowledge of how to effectively sell a number. A perfect example was her turn on Stephen Schwartz’s “Just a Housewife” from Working. The song starts out subdued and passive, the protagonist submitting to her boringly-defined existence. But then a self-awareness builds to an almost defiant self-assurance. Arnaz reaches deep into her own history of leaving performing to raise three children and two step children, for such a powerful performance.

A showcase of her backing trio (“I Love a Piano”/ “Slap That Bass”/ “Drum Crazy”) turned into a showstopper for Lucie as well. Here her stage training (timing, projection, comedy) benefits her nightclub act seamlessly. A heartfelt mini-set tribute to her father displays the fiery, sexy Latina side of Lucie. Irving Berlin’s very un-Berlin-like “I’ll See You in C-U-B-A” led into a sensational ‘Blame it on the Bossa Nova’ followed by Dan Fogelberg’s “Leader of the Band.” A high energy “El Cumbanchero” would make Carmen Miranda blush. Arnaz covered her mom’s only Broadway hit ‘Hey, Look Me Over’ with a new introspective arrangement that built to a showstopping all-out finale. Arnaz is a nightclub trouper with great talent and personality, a living legacy to talented parents but with her own unique gifts.

Steve Murray
Cabaret Scenes
December 8, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org