Leslie Laredo News

For 90 minutes last night Cafe Centro Cabaret in West Palm Beach Florida was transformed into the world-famous Troubadour nightclub in West Hollywood California as award winning vocalist Dawn Derow and guitarist Peter Calo  performed a powerful new show. Check out photos here!

Entertainer Rob Russell, aka Mr. Palm Beach entered a room full of cheering music devotees at Cafe Centro last night and hosted the unofficial start of the Cabaret season at the popular Palm Beach dinner/music venue. Check out photos here!

The Cafe Centro Cabaret Series produced by Sanford Fisher is winding down for the season and it’s sending its sold out  audience of ladies (and gentlemen) off with the music of movie star looking male singers filling the night air with romance. 

Clint Holmes, Grammy nominated singer/songwriter and one of the most exciting entertainers in the country was on the stage of the Wick Museum Club last night.

If there was any doubt that Cafe Centro was a bona fide Cabaret Venue it was dispelled last night.  Billy Stritch was seated at the Cafe’s Grand Piano and Linda Purl was the songstress headlining on the cabaret stage of the South Florida restaurant. 

Billy Stritch & Gabrielle Stravelli couldn’t see it from the stage, but behind every audience member’s mask at the Kravis Center last night was a smiling face. Reason being… it’s a rare treat when artists of this caliber join forces for an evening of song.  

Last night on the Wick stage these celebrated entertainers presented their tribute to Nat King Cole titled “Straighten Up and Fly Right” and it was a masterclass in musical expertise and show biz excitement. 

It was a “Love Boat” for (Captain) Rob Russell at the Pelican Cabaret last night as fully vaccinated fans joined in the act to help Mr. Palm Beach celebrate his birthday.  The entertainer and designated spinner of tunes in DIck Robinson’s dugout of Legends Radio Hosts had much to celebrate.  

Sometimes happenings in Florida are no laughing matter but that was not the case this weekend. Stand Up Comedian Michele Balan flew into Florida for a few gigs.

Rob Russell survived the pandemic and two heart operations this past year so his return to the stage caused a joyous celebration last night at the Pelican Cafe Cabaret.   His Palm Beach fans gave him a standing ovation as they sang “It’s so nice to have you back where you belong” to “Mr. Palm Beach”.  

Although the official location of Billy’s Place is located on Manhattan’s Central Park South it’s now transforming itself into anywhere that Mr. Stritch sits at the piano and croons in his musically elegant style.

Loston Harris brought his elegant piano and vocal interpretations a thousand miles from his usually perch in The Carlyle Hotel's Bemlmans Bar to Delray's Arts Garage last night. The jam packed Arts Garage audience might have been dressed a little more casually then Manhattan's urbane jazz lovers, but this jazz savvy Delray turnout had the same appreciation and enthusiasm for the talented pianist/singer as New Yorkers do. Loston gets you in three ways, his inventiveness at the keyboard, his sophisticated vocals, and his vivacious personality. He is the consummate musician/entertainer in the true tradition of Bobby Short. Loston brings a unique rhythmic percussiveness to his fluent melodic lines which may be due to the fact that he started his music life as a drummer. Luckily for his fans worldwide he switched to piano.

Yankee Stadium has it's 'Legends Seats' and Monuments prominently displayed in the 'House That Ruth Built'.  Then the current team takes the field and future legends start to play ball.  In the Friars Club show biz past and present are always in the house.  Their photos are on the wall and names are engraved on the chairs in the Frank Sinatra Dining Room.  Then as so often happens an 'insiders' great show is produced for the members and those legends current and future entertain their fellow Friars.  So it happened last night as the Friars Club honored Bobby Short, the legendary cabaret singer/pianist who was best known for his three decade plus music residency at Cafe Carlyle in New York City.  The music of Bobby Short was brought to life by some current Cafe Carlye and Bemelmans Bar stars in a spectacular evening produced and hosted by Friar Jeff Leibowitz and Co-Produced by Friar Will Friedwald.

Usually the microphone he holds is used for talking, but Emmy winning talk show host and interviewer supreme Bill Boggs sang to a packed house at Le Cirque last night.  

Legendary entertainer Tony Bennett was honored by the Friars Club in celebration of his storied and successful career that has spanned 7 decades on June 20th and BroadwayWorld was there.

Friars Club had a special  Bottoms Up Happy Hour last night to introduce two new bartenders, Jeanette and Joe. The jam packed Lucille Ball room also featured the piano stylings and vocals of Friar Stephen Sorokoff. After a very happy few hours many members enjoyed dinner in the Frank Sinatra dinning room where one of the menu selections was Friar Jimmy Fallon's Favorite Chicken Chow Mein. Even some Friars who were rained out of the Tennis Open were happy as they listened to Stephen's Billy Stritch, Buddy Greco, Errol Garner, & Steve Tyrell influenced musical offerings.

Randy Graff won a Tony and Drama Desk award for City of Angels, originated the role of Fantine in the original Broadway company of Les Miserables and has been in Fiddler on the Roof, High Society, Falsettos, Moon Over Buffalo, and A Class Act. Musically and theatrically Randy Graff is also a class act and one of the best Cabaret performances you will ever see. Her voice, phrasing and tonality are perfection and it's encased in a Cabaret Act that is full of wit, humor, and drama as she chronicles her life from Brooklyn to Broadway.  You can't take the subway to get to Mr. Finn's Cabaret at Barrington Stage, but if you travel to Pittsfield MA., you're going to see one of the best.

An Evening With Steve Tyrell was presented by the Friars Club last night and the Grammy and Emmy Award winning artist and producer had a chair named in his honor in the legendary Frank Sinatra Dinning Room. Check out photos from the event below!

It was all in the family and all for the family at The Friars Club last night. La Famiglia, Mishpucha, La Familia, CeMbR, Rat Pack, Broadway and Cabaret, were assembled by producers Laura Slutsky and Jamie at the Friars for a spectacular Jamie deRoy & friends show last night. You had to be in the family or know someone in the family to get into the sold out event. Probably no family gathering had so much fun, good food, and great performances as this one did.