Tony and Emmy Award winner Leslie Uggams brings her acclaimed cabaret Classic Uggams to San Francisco’s Venetian Room in the Fairmont Hotel for one show only Saturday, November 2 at 5 p.m. Returning to the world-famous music room where she performed regularly in the 1970s and 1980s, Leslie makes cherished standards sound brand new in the show The New York Times called “bright and spunky; old-time Broadway professionalism marinated in jazz and blues.”
Classic Uggams features favorite songs from Leslie’s decades-spanning career that she and other notable entertainers like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin made famous. Leslie brings audiences back to the nightclub heyday when she performed at Harrah’s in Reno with the likes of Bill Cosby and Sammy Davis, Jr. She also sings a moving tribute to her lifelong friend the late Marvin Hamlisch who wrote for her while they attended the Professional Children’s School as teenagers.
Highlights include new arrangements of “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “One,” and “What I Did for Love.” Leslie also tells the real story behind her infamous flub of the lyrics to “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over” that she sang during a live broadcast of “A Capital Fourth” from the Mall in Washington, DC. She gamely recreates the hilarious gaffe that redefines the term “show biz trouper.”
Leslie has co-written Classic Uggams with Michael Bush, who also directs. Don Rebic serves as music director and pianist, leading a swinging four-piece band.
Classic Uggams is presented by Bay Area Cabaret. Tickets are $50 for general admission and $45 for subscribers and may be purchased online at BayAreaCabaret.org or by calling 415-927-4636.