Josh “Chachi” Cruz kicked off the March edition of Barbarino’s Big Nite Out! (BBNO) at New York City’s iconic nightlife venue Lips with the ageless hit It’s Today.  Originally heard in the 1966 Broadway musical Mame, the Jerry Herman song is a piece of crowd-pleasing, high-spirited decadence taken from showtune culture.  As I’ve often said many, many times in the past: Good music will always be good music. It defies age.  The hits from yesteryear STILL sound amazing as we approach the midway of 2026.  On this particular Tuesday night, it took the combined talents of Scott Barbarino, Chachi Cruz, and the pair’s motley crew of talented friends to remind us that superior music, combined with superior talent, will NEVER fade away. Other than its reverence for vintage tunes, this lively night put the “variety” in “variety show”.  There was truly “something for everyone”: singing, comedy, magic, puppetry, drag… BBNO favorite George Winters, for example, has a talent for unearthing some rare musical oddities that are just begging to be heard again.  For this night, it was Allan Sherman’s campy You Went the Wrong Way, Old King Louie. If you have never heard this song, which can be interpreted as more relevant than ever in 2026, I recommend that you seek it out!  But I digress… Many of these artists have multiple talents.  Host Royale Chachi Cruz, for example, can indeed sing– but he also provides a lot of the comedy throughout the night.  

But before we the audience at Lips even heard the very first song of the night, we were treated to an overture by the hardworking four-man band of the night: Alex Nguyen on trumpet, Yasuhiko “Yaz” Fukuoka on piano /keyboard, Drew Bastion on percussion, and Ian Jesse on bass.  An overture?!  Yes, kids: This is a CLASSY event!  Head honcho Scott Barbarino gave the audience the Neil Sedaka classic Calendar Girl, which was particularly well-suited for his smooth, mannered vocal style.  Barbarino wanted the song to evoke the spirit of New York City’s piano bars of old, where the whole place would sing together. So when he did his next song, Tony Orlando and Dawn’s Knock Three Times, the crowd not only sang together, but also “knocked three times” together.  And, amazingly, there were no broken glasses.  Next up were two favorites of Barbarino’s Big Nite Out!: Bianca Di Sarro and Zach Carter.  The pair performed I Got You Babe, as a tribute to the real-life married couple who not only made that song famous but who also, as Chachi Cruz pointed out, made variety shows cool.  Bianca and Zach– who, as far as I know, are NOT married in real life–  have very visible chemistry together.  For this number, the audience didn’t need any encouragement to sing along.  Gabrielle Elisabeth was next, performing the eternal classic One Fine Day.  She’s a lovely presence, and she has a truly lovely voice to match, especially as she sings lyrics like “One fine day, you’re gonna want me for your girl…!”  Gabrielle and Bianca combined forces for the superfunky Shame, Shame, Shame.  It was a true highlight of the night to hear this duo scold the audience with, “Can’t stop me now, hear what I say; My feet want to move so get out of my way!”  You MUST obey…

Next up was Yael Rasooly and her “friend”, who was actually a puppet.  Yael’s mini-me looked somewhat familiar.  Before the name “Edith” was even said, this pop culture fiend knew immediately who this puppet was: the slightly “jaune” skin, the wide but world-weary eyes, and the oddly melancholy expression gave it away. (That’s “Ms. Piaf” to you…).  Yael and “Edith” dueled for dominance for the oh-so-French classic La Vie en Rose.  It must be seen to be believed; little Ms. Piaf really came ALIVE during this act. (After a few cocktails, you won’t even think “Edith” was a puppet… especially when she ever-so-elegantly dropped the F-bomb.)  And, the audience was even singing along… in French!

“This is my first time here!  I lost my virginity at Lips!” Hmmm… How could you not love a comedian who admitted to having “a voice like Jewish Spongebob.”? Yes, this was Brian Bueche’s first time at Barbarino’s Big Nite Out.  Although it took the audience a while to warm up to Brian’s quirky charms, he eventually won the crowd over– and soon they were gleefully egging him on for his dirtier jokes. His material was often hilarious, especially when he shared the story of his first threesome (with a married couple!) and dropped terms like “mansplaining oral”.  He’s endearingly self-aware and deliciously self-depreciating– especially when he shares such tidbits as, “In high school I really wanted to be a priest… just to make my virginity look like my choice!” Still, he ended his set with a joke so tame that it was even safe for the kiddies!

So, how about some “magic”?  The magic in Barbarino’s Big Nite Out! came with Nigel Blackstorm.  From his renegade sense of style to his accent, Nigel was a charmer for sure: If he confessed to the audience that he actually had no tricks that night, he could have probably gotten away with it.  But the audience was indeed treated to many tricks: In fact, it was a “magic marathon” of sorts.  Even though Nigel payed tribute to late rocker Ozzy Osbourne, no bats or other (live) animals were harmed in the process… and, is it really harm if the chicken’s head is “restored”?  To state the obvious, his magic must be seen live to be believed.  Watching Mr. Blackstorm made me wonder: In the truly unshockable culture that we live in, is MAGIC the last cultural phenomenon that has the capacity to really SHOCK us as we progress through 2026?  Hmmm…

As mentioned before, Barbarino’s Big Nite Out! has a few recurrent cast members.  I always believed that Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow was one of the most romantic songs in pop culture history, and Bianca Di Sarro’s achingly feverish rendition made me maintain my belief.  Those were some amazingly impressive notes that she hit!  Not to be outdone, audience fave Zach Carter hit those high notes as well with MacArthur Park (Yes, THAT one…!), but also added comedy and… cake. (Does the cake officially make it “performance art”?)  And… it was hilarious.  Rounding out the trio of BBNO’s “third act” was Gabrielle Elisabeth.  Her version of Alfie was bewitching, lovely, and it (dare I say) brought tears to the eyes of this grown man.  Her high notes were breathtaking. 

As I have written before, I am a relatively new superfan of drag star Avant Garbage.  They didn’t let me down this time around… In a double shot of camp cocktail, Avant  gave the crowd a mashup of the most Faye-Dunaway-as-Joan-Crawford’s most psychotic unstable moments from Mommie Dearest and ABBA’s Mamma Mia.  They worked the crowd– and I mean REALLY worked the crowd.  But thankfully, unlike the real Christina Crawford from the movie, no audience members were harmed in the process. It was an audience-pleaser for sure. 

 And yes, there WAS a finale… but even though there were no burlesque performances in THIS edition of BBNO, I’ll take a cue from by friends in the burlesque biz and not reveal EVERYTHING!

Who says Tuesday nights have to be boring?  Stay posted about Barbarino’s Big Nite Out! (BBNO) at Lips Drag Queen and Show Palace Restaurant & Bar, 227 East 56th St, NYC.  Follow BBNO on Instagram @bbno.nyc.