Review: AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH LUCIE ARNAZ at Feinstein's At The Nikko
You can see Lucie Arnaz backed by a 22-piece orchestra all over the world, but you can only get the truly intimate version at Feinstein’s at the Nikko.
An Intimate Evening with Lucie Arnaz
Feinstein’s at the Nikko
20 March 2026
You can see Lucie Arnaz backed by a 22-piece orchestra all over the world, but you can only get the truly intimate version at Feinstein’s at the Nikko and luckily for us Lucie loves this room and makes regular visits. Backed by longtime friend and collaborator Ron Abel, Arnaz completely dazzled her fans with a smart, perfectly executed cabaret show. Taking us on a journey of the vagaries of love in all its permutations, Arnaz uses her considerable acting chops and solid vocal styling to swing through an intriguing selection of songs.
You don’t get a better musical director and arranger than Abel, and he and Arnaz have a symbiotic relationship that elevates each number to a high level. Opening with a mashup of “Recipe for Love” and “The Tender Trap,” this would be the first of a number of medleys, smartly combined. “Fools Rush In,” a tender ode to an open heart is a fine ballad for Arnaz’s range. The now mature Arnaz is through with ‘victim songs’ and to that point she sang songs of new love, the wonder of falling in love and even cathartic breakup tunes.
Arnaz grew up with an amazing collection of the finest composers and arrangers available and presented two songs arranged by the best. “Fun to be Fooled,” a Harold Arlen, Ira Gershwin and Yip Harburg number and arranged by Ted Firth, was a standout, as was an arrangement of “Just One of Those Things” written specially for Arnaz by Marvin Hamlisch. Two Ron Abel/Chuck Steffan songs displayed the beauty of the collaboration between Abel and Arnaz- “Until Now,” which should be a standard and “Slow Dancing,” a nuanced love song, delivered perfectly.
Arnaz is the ultimate professional with a stunning pedigree and the chops to secure her the honor of being one of today’s finest live performers. Another fine arrangement came with the pairing of “It’s Alright with Me” and “Something’s Gotta Give,” arranged by veteran Billy Stritch. David Friedman’s heartfelt “Listen to My Heart” was a showstopper, as was the cute “Namely You” from Lil Abner. Arnaz is confident and authentic onstage, joking that for a while she dated many a closeted guy, so much so that she feared she would use cedar chips for perfume! A funny rendition of Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann’s 1963 hit “Blame It on the Bossa Nova” cemented the love affair between performer and audience.
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