It’s getting HOT– both outside and in!  The May 2026 edition of Barbarino’s Big Nite Out! at New York City’s drag palace/eatery Lips opened with Club Knocked Up from the Broadway musical fave Waitress.  The song is a foot tapper already, but it was only made better and WAY more outrageous by the trio of BBNO! regular singers (Chachi Cruz, Bianca DiSarro, and Zack Carter) wearing faux pregnancy bellies (!). Do I dare ask who’s the Daddy? Now, THAT’S how you open (ahem…) a show!  After watching Scott Barbarino’s well-chosen lineup of performers, a few things became clear: (1) Variety is the spice of life; (2) Some art forms can ONLY be appreciated live on stage; and (3) Barbarino’s Big Nite Out! remains one of the hottest tickets in town!

But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.   No winning variety show is complete without a hot ‘n’ happy host.  For Barbarino’s Big Nite Out!, the host is Josh “Chachi” Cruz.   Chachi isn’t solely the host of BBNO!  He gets the mic all to himself from time to time.  An example was the perfectly sung (and perfectly personal) Being Alive (from Company), although (SPOILER ALERT!) the audience had to wait for the show’s Third Act to hear it! He also shared where to find the hottest guys in the city.  Who knew it would be the B-69 bus? Damn!  I started getting some serious FOMO for public transportation.  Somebody grab my token… Metrocard... Omni… 

Head honcho Scott Barbarino often speaks about the “old school” days, when musicians, singers, and nightlife types of all varieties would gather at a piano bar and perform together just for fun.  Indeed, Barbarino’s Big Nite Out! has created a few new traditions of its own.  Each show kicks off with the lusciously retro theme from The Newlywed Game. Scott ritually performs the piece of vintage ear candy Calendar Girls, complete with audience participation.  Barbarino also maintains the tradition of showcasing some of the BBNO! family as regular performers, including the lovely Bianca DiSarro and the always crowd-pleasing Zack Carter, who owns a vocal capability that’s no less than astonishing.  Of course, Barbarino is also a seasoned singer in his own right, as evidenced by his rendition of the feverishly romantic classic You Belong to Me.  The show continued with one of Barbarino’s dear friends from those days at the piano bar: the MAC- and Bistro Award winner Marta Sanders. She’s proudly a “BROAD!”.  A true showstopper, Sanders is funny, proudly larger-than life, and more than just a little bit naughty — but ALWAYS a class act.  Yes, she’s even a class act when she’s singing such deliciously decadent numbers as Tippin’ the Ritz or Hunk on the Bus (Really!).  

Singer Aaron Valentine was the Winner of “Mama’s Next Big Act” competition at New York City’s cabaret venue Don’t Tell Mama.  He gave the crowd a soulful version of I’m the One You’re Looking For.  It’s no mystery why Valentine emerged triumphant for that competition.  This guy’s got talent, but also has a fine stage presence.  He did come back for an encore, the perfectly chosen (and perfectly personal) Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae.  It was a true audience pleaser.  After watching this singer’s earthy vibes, I make a resolution that EVERY day should be “Valentine’s Day”!

Of course, Barbarino’s Big Nite Out! is a VARIETY show… so there is a good amount of variety.  How about some… COMEDY?  The comedy of the night was courtesy of Brian Bueche, who often and somewhat unfairly compares himself to “a Jewish SpongeBob SquarePants.” Hey, that’s not fair!  Considering that SpongeBob was one of the first openly gay celebrities that I ever met, in my book that’s quite a “flex”, as the kids say.  Like so many other BBNO! performers who have graced the stage at Lips, this comedian was not afraid to get (more than) just a little bit naughty, such as when he aptly described the state of Florida as “Long Island with erectile dysfunction!” (I’ll let you pause and think about that for a while…) But Bueche’s humor really hits the mark when he (over?)shares the stories of his own sexual escapades and downward escalator-pades, such as “Harvey Milk died so I could switch to ‘Men’ on Tinder!” 

How did the human/puppet duo of Leslie and Lolly (or, more specifically, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph and Lolly Lardpop) know that Paper Moon is one of my favorite songs of all time? This truly unique and thoroughly charming act reminds all of us about the importance of believing in oneself and overcoming self-doubt– as well as having faith in others!  And, this act was even (Gasp!) suitable for children– yet this Gen X’er loved every minute of it.  Oh my… am I getting soft in middle age?

As I mentioned in the first paragraph, some acts can ONLY be appreciate when seen live! I am speaking about Jefferson Freire.   Freire is a professional juggler– but I really want to find a term that ramps up just how sophisticated his act is, displaying some truly eye-popping feats of balance and physical control.  Perhaps we can say it in French: “jonglage”... He performed most of his act on a unicycle (!) and, if that wasn’t impressive enough, he even breaks out the violin!  At the risk of sounding cliched, I will accurately say that his act truly must be seen to be believed I strongly encourage you to catch Freire perform in the future … maybe an encore performance at a future edition of BBNO!? (Hint, hint…)

As a nightlife journalist for decades, I sometimes wonder if I’ve seen every last bit of talent in this big, dirty, expensive, noisy, and FABULOUS town.  But Scott Barbarino has promised that just when I thought I’ve seen the very last talented person, Scott will find yet another one for you! And, in a similar vein, Barbarino’s Big Nite Out! regular George Winters will find yet another unearthed musical gem for his audience. On this night, it was Mrs. Worthington, written by another artist who knows more than a thing or two about a sarcastic wit: Noel Coward!  How could you not love lyrics like this:

She has nice hands to give the wretched girl her due,
But don’t you think her bust is too developed for her age?
I repeat, Mrs. Worthington, sweet Mrs. Worthington,
Don’t put your daughter on the stage!”

The song became more an more frenetic as it went along… and I don’t think The Talented Mister Winters took a breath the whole time!

Next up was the incredibly charismatic Laurence London. London gave the audience a sneak preview up the upcoming show I Can Cook Too: A Celebration of Barbara Cook. London’s selection was the well-chosen Not a Day Goes By:

“Not a day goes by,

Not a single day;
You’re not somewhere a part of my life,
And I need you to stay.”

London has a great stage presence, and the song became more powerful and provocative as it went along. 

BBNO!’s “Resident Queen” Avant Garbage gave the audience her now infamous mashup of Mommie Dearest and Mamma Mia, complete with random lucky audience members feeling the wrath of Avant-as-Faye-Dunaway-as-Joan-Crawford.  As Scott Barbarino himself noted. “This act gets better and better every time!”.  I agree. Even though I leave the room during the scenes of the little girl being beaten in Mommie Dearest, I could literally watch this act over and over again…  And, best of all, no audience members were harmed (physically, at least…) during the performance of Avant Garbage’s act.  The night concluded with Biana DiSarro performing everyone’s favorite classic by Cher: If I Could Turn Back Time. But someone was determined to steal the spotlight: Bianca was joined NOT by Sonny, but by a RIVAL Cher (who, with 1940’s MGM style lighting, looked suspiciously like Zack Carter…) 

It’s no mystery why so many people come back for the last Tuesday of every month for Barbarino’s Big Nite Out.  Every edition features some returning performers and some exciting new acts.  But regardless of how many times they’ve hit the Lips stage, every performer is a winner– as is the audience.

Barbarino’s Big Nite Out! continues every last Tuesday at Lips Drag Show Palace Restaurant and Bar, 227 E 56th St, NYC. For more information, visit here.