This year on The Real Housewives of New York City Countess Luann de Lesseps may be trying to patch up a friendship with longtime friend Dorinda Medley and welcoming new friend, Barbara Kavovit to the group, but on stage at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa last weekend, Countess Luann was enveloped in love and adoration from a sold out crowd as she brought her cabaret show Countess & Friends to The Music Box theater for the second time.
This was a homecoming of sorts for Luann, as she had already filmed the video for “Chic C’est La Vie” on the property, and as she said backstage pre-show “the crowd is always fantastic at Borgata”. During the show, de Lesseps referenced the video shoot, saying “If you go back in the Chic C’est La Vie music video, you’ll see all the chandeliers here at Borgata, and we filmed the show here in the casino. To be on stage with you guys, this is it. I’ve arrived!”
The event is billed as Countess and Friends and the friends she brought along for the ride were plentiful. From New York City legend, comedian and drag king Murray Hill (who kept the crowd in stitches with his signature rapport with the audience) to her duet with dreamy singer/songwriter Spencer Day on “The Look of Love”, the talent Luann brought along for the ride complimented her perfectly.
As for the main attraction, the Countess was in top form. Glistening in Jovani (what else?), Luann transitioned into multiple pieces from the fashion house almost as she did through topics on stage, both of which with ease. Reading from the “Countess’ Diary” she was able to take some of her more challenging experiences and make them fodder for the stage, as well as perfect transitions to some of her musical numbers. Vocally, the Countess went stuck with the classics, like “With A Little Help From My Friends” to “Fever”, accompanied with bongos, a skill she currently she acquired during her most recent rehab stint, Of course, it would not be “Countess & Friends” if she did not sing some of the signature songs that made her a true fan favorite; from her inaugural hit “Money Can’t Buy You Class” (a true showstopper) to “Girl Code” (inspired after a legendary Turks & Caicos trip with the Housewives), from the first note of each of her original songs, the fans were on their feet.
On her divorce (to introduce “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend”: “Dear diary, Tom and I are getting divorced. He cheated, and I’m keeping that diamond!”). Regarding the boat ride from hell last season during the ladies trip to Colombia (before singing “Something to Talk About”: “Here I am with the girls in Cartagena. Everything was fine until our three hour boat ride to Gilligan’s Island when all hell broke loose. I should have known the boat seemed a bit shifty to begin with. I mean quaint and charming are not things you look for in a seafaring vessel.” Reading from the Countess’ Diary gave the voracious Housewives fans all of the signature moments they wanted to hear from one of their favorite OG’ while also showing off Luann’s ease on stage and behind the mic.
Q&A portions of the evening can sometimes prove challenging, but Luann was able to take on all questions that were posed to her, no matter how slightly uncomfortable they may have been. From her fractured friendship with fellow Housewife Dorinda Medley (“She had a bad night. We’re trying to patch things up in our friendship because we’ve been friends for a long time. I love Dorinda, we’re working on it.”) to longtime frenemy Ramona Singer (“You know it’s like your family. Sometimes you don’t get along and you’re like, “what did you just say?” At the end of the day, you have to come to the dinner table otherwise you don’t eat. Don’t ask me where I just got that one!”) to her least favorite Housewife ever (“I would say Alex McCord. Oh my god and Simon, oh my god!”), de Lesseps kept her ravenous #RHONY fans fed with plenty of Housewives dish!
The fans relationship with one of the biggest Bravo-lebrities truly made this evening magical. From screams of encouragement from the rafters to a chorus of “boooo” when Luann mentioned ex-husband Tom. the fans support of Luann is clearly unwavering. As one of the OG’s of the franchise, this would be the time when many would be finding a way to reinvent themselves and keep themselves relevant. Luann seems to have found the secret recipe that simply being yourself, as well as in on the joke, is the true combination that gives a Housewife true staying power.