CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Actor and comedian Frank Ferrante smiles as he returns to familiar territory. He sits down on one of two blue velvet couches in the lobby of the so-called “Spiegeltent” on the 14th floor of the Cambria Hotel in Chicago's Loop.
"I launched this thing back in 2019. It's so good to be back," said Ferrante, as he looked up at one of the many opulent chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
"This place was something no one knew about back then. It was transformed into something so special."
The long-forgotten space was uncovered during a recent renovation at the hotel. Since then, the massive, 4,000 piece mirrored tent has become a permanent fixture of the hotel.
"This venue is one of the most spectacular venues in the country, certainly in the city. There's nothing like it. There's the venue, the lobby, the design, the detail, even the lighting has been improved since I was here last," Ferrante said.
Ferrante has just returned from touring the country in his one man "Frank Ferrante's Groucho" show.
"This feels like home now. There was a publication that referred to me as “Chicago actor Frank Ferrante.” That tells the whole story. I've been here long enough to be considered a Chicago actor," he laughed. "I've got family here. My brother lives here, and my daughter goes to school here. I love it here."
In 2020, the cabaret circus dinner theater was one of the first shows to return to live performances after the pandemic.
"There's something magnificent about the attempt that has gone into this. They won't give up. They've had every reason to quit. It's been a rollercoaster. We had to shut down like many others and then we returned, we had to wear masks, we were the first to check vaccination cards, then restrictions were eased, and audiences started coming back. Now, more and more audiences are discovering it. We're rebranding now. It isn't easy to sell tickets so we're kind of starting from scratch again. It was mind boggling to me that we were one of the first to return to live performances during the pandemic. It shows the producers' resilience," Ferrante said.
Ferrante led Teatro Zinzanni as the emcee, "The Caesar". He is now leading a new show, a new cast, a new band and he's debuting a new character.
"I've been doing that Caesar character in the other show, in Teatro, for 20 years. This time, well, we want you back, but we'd love you to do all new stuff. It's no tiny task. So much of what I do is improvisation and is developed in front of an audience. What people have seen is something I've been doing for years and years and years. This is the very beginning of something. I have 8 months to develop it, to play with the audience, to cut, to add, to nuance and that's exciting," Ferrante noted.
Ferrante admitted the task is a bit daunting.
"I haven't created anything from scratch in 20 years. I'm a bit scared. It's a scary thing to do. I'm jumping off a cliff. I am trusting that I have enough experience that I will be able to land this no matter what, and I'll be able to make people laugh with this creation. We'll see." he smiled.
"Cabaret Zazou" is more of a variety show with acts from around the world.
The new show features a Ukrainian juggler, a contortionist, a trapeze artist and singer and Peoria native Liv Warfield.
"We also have a whole new band. They are honoring the Chicago tradition, blues and jazz. It's like you're in a jazz club. They are local heavy weights in jazz and now they are on stage here."
"Luminaire" begins September 7th and features a multi-course dinner.
"This form of entertainment, it's so over the top," he giggled. "It's wild, it's exciting. It still takes my breath away."
Tickets are available online here.
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