Review: Robert Cuccioli & Maria Cooper Janis Headline Dutch Treat Club Opening Night

I’m usually reporting at “High Noon” for the Dutch Treat Club’s educational and entertaining Tuesday lunches, but this time the occasion called for evening attire. The club kicked off its 2026/27 season with its Opening Night Dinner, featuring Maria Cooper Janis, daughter of legendary actor Gary Cooper, and Tony-Nominated Broadway star Robert Cuccioli.

The Dutch Treat Club meets every Tuesday for lunch, with the first Tuesday of each month reserved for a special dinner event. The Opening Night Dinner set the stage for another season of fascinating guests, lively conversation, and the club’s long-standing tradition of bringing members together over good food and great company.

It was a combination of Old Hollywood and Broadway Royalty evening.

After the traditional tuneful “Welcome back” from President KT Sullivan, Entertainment Chair Raissa Katona Bennett introduced Robert Cuccioli, best known for creating the dual roles of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the acclaimed musical Jekyll & Hyde, earning Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and FANY Awards for his performance. Cuccioli will be featured in the Mabel Mercer Foundation Cabaret Convention on Oct. 15th, and the upcoming off-Broadway production of Every Wednesday Night, in Spring of 2027. Accompanied by acclaimed Broadway Conductor and pianist, Joseph Baker, he thrilled the club with 4 songs including “It’s Now or Never/O Sole Mio” (paying homage to his Italian ancestry) and an incredibly moving rendition of “The Impossible Dream” which elicited tears and “bravo’s” from the crowd. Then, in a tribute to Gary Cooper, he sang Cooper’s favorite song, “Old Man River”. He did that, because Gary Cooper’s daughter, Maria Cooper Janis was the evenings speaker in conversation with acclaimed author and professor, Foster Hirsch.    

Mrs. Janis has written a book, Gary Cooper off Camera: A Daughter Remembers, which gives an inside look into the persona of one of the greatest movie stars of all time. In addition to her writing, she has enjoyed a successful career as an artist and was married to the world-renowned concert pianist, Byron Janis whose busy schedule led them all over the world. Mrs. Janis has collaborated on three television specials, one produced by TNT “Gary Cooper, American Life, American Legend,” another, part of TNT’s Biography Series entitled “The Life and Times of Gary Cooper” and she has worked with A&E to contribute to a special on her father for their Biography program titled, “Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero” which was aired in March of 1998. She has collaborated abroad with a PBS/French production of “Frederick Chopin: A Voyage with Byron Janis.” Mr. Hirsch deftly led her through an interview which highlighted all these accomplishments, but what was most moving, was to hear that Gary Cooper valued his family and their time together, above all else.  Mrs. Janis shared many special memories of her life with parents, and shared that above all, her father was a man of principles, especially during the “Red Scare” that Hollywood faced.

Among the notables present for the opening of the 2026/27 season of the Dutch Treat Club were Cuccioli’s wife, Television and Theatre Star, Laila Robbins, who is starring in Richard Nelson’s “We’ll See” at the Public Theatre which opens Election night, Nov. 4th, Cabaret producer/performer Mary Porter, acclaimed journalist, Magda Katz, who was the liaison to the speaker, and Broadway/Cabaret performer, Ann Kittredge, to name just a few.

On a personal note, Eda Sorokoff, a classical pianist who concertized in her youth and has always had a particular affection for the music of Chopin, had the thrilling opportunity a few years ago to “talk Chopin” with the legendary maestro Byron Janis at a dinner party. It is a moment she treasures. When Eda shared the photograph I’ve included in this article, Maria remarked that it perfectly captured Byron’s characteristic physicality— his fully engaged manner when immersed in conversation.

Whether the Dutch Treaters meet at “High Noon” or after the sun goes down, the formula is always the same: interesting people, good conversation, great entertainment and plenty to learn and laugh about.

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Learn more at the Dutch Treat Club website at www.dutchtreatny.org

See photos from Tuesday's event below.

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