Real Housewives of New York star Countess Luann is coming to Bristol in February, bringing her Countess Cabaret show to SWX. Renowned for being one of the longest serving cast members of the cult reality show, she’s provided fans with some of TV’s most iconic moments.
But, in addition to her Housewives success, she’s also garnered a huge following for her performing talents, has become a huge queer icon, and drew one of the biggest crowds of the weekend at the 2024 edition of Mighty Hoopla, her first ever UK show. Countess Cabaret kicks off in February and will be Luann’s biggest tour yet, promising an evening of anecdotes from her time on Real Housewives of New York (RHONY), performances of fan favourite songs like ‘Money Can’t Buy You Class’, and fashion shows featuring her iconic Jovani outfits from her showroom in New York.
She speaks to BristolLive’s Ellie Kendall ahead of her first ever visit to Bristol, which is scheduled for February 21…
Luann says: “It feels great because Bethany [Frankel, fellow RHONY star] says to me, ‘life is not cabaret’. Well, guess what? It is for me. When I say that, I mean that we write our own stories in life, right? Nobody’s writing for us.
“A really old friend of mine said to me, ‘Lu, you love to entertain at parties. You love to sing for your friends and you love telling jokes. So you should be doing cabaret’ and that’s how it started.
“I love variety. I grew up watching Carol Burnett and The Cher Show. And people are always asking, ‘what is cabaret?’ Well, cabaret is a personal story, and I build my show that way. So I pick my music, the music I love, the music I’ve written, and I back that song pick with a story from my life and why I like that song.
“And then of course I have to pick the perfect Jovani dress. So it’s really kind of ‘cabaret meets pop culture’. During the show they show clips from all my years on The Housewives, I tell jokes, I sing for you. So it’s really a ride through pop culture and cabaret, comedy and fashion at the same time.
“And people don’t get to see my cabaret on the Housewives because of music rights, et cetera. So I love it because the fans come to the show and get to see it. The Housewives come to my shows around the U.S. and they’re like, ‘Wow, you actually made something out of this passion, this dream’ and I think people can really tell that I’m having a great time when I’m on stage.
“I feel comfortable. It’s my happy place and I think that’s been the success of my shows – it’s the real deal.”
When it comes to her fame on Housewives, while her fellow stars of the series (Sonja Morgan, Ramona Singer and Jill Zarin) will probably be soaking up the American sun rather than venturing out to the UK in February, Luann says that the show and her fellow Housewives make a prominent feature on a big screen in her Cabaret – and they’ve all seen her in action on other stages.
She says: “RHONY is a big deal. We didn’t know in the beginning what a reality show was. I mean back in 2007 when we started, reality TV was not really around. So we were just living our lives. And so I think people connected to the fact that I was always very transparent on the show.
“We all have ups and downs. You’ve seen mine. I’m not perfect. I was just pretty transparent and honest to the viewers, because I feel like it’s so important. I always tried to be my most authentic self.
“My mother’s 96 now. And so she sees me on stage and she’s glued. My nephew was sitting next to her in one of my shows at a casino in Connecticut, where I grew up. And so a lot of my family came, and to see them see me shine on stage is really an incredible feeling.
“I had a psychic come to one of my shows and my father passed away over 20 years ago, but she said ‘you know, your father is on stage with you’. And I said, ‘I know. He’s the wind beneath my wings.’ Really. And I believe in that.
“So it’s such an honour to do what I love to do, spread the joy and for people to really connect to that and to have such a great experience in my shows – they leave with big smiles on their faces and they’re just so happy and that makes me happy.”
In addition to psychics, family and friends, Luann’s fans go all out when it comes to her Cabaret shows – and sometimes they go above and beyond. She tells me: “I’ve got some gifts. Once I got a coffin, like a really small little coffin. It was to put my ex wedding rings in. It was pretty cool!
“People like to party and I had a girl who broke her ankle one show. I think she drank a little too much! I’ve had people having way too much fun and there’s been some crazy crazy times. But for the most part my fans are very chic and that’s what I love – you’ll get the sequins coming out, statement necklaces are on and they’re there to have a great time. Some are better at partying than others, let’s put it that way!
When it comes to what fans in Bristol can expect from Countess Cabaret on February 21, Luann adds: “I can’t wait to tell them a little bit about what I’m doing now. I have a new show coming out called ‘The Love Hotel’. So I’m going to be talking to them about that. I can’t wait for them to hear me perform, because this tour is really all about my greatest hits – it’s an all new show that I’m bringing to Bristol.
“And I’m excited for them to participate because I play games with the audience. It’s very immersive. The fans connect with each other. They’ll often go out together. It’s like they have this common thread of Housewives, and I have had mother and daughters say, ‘you kept our relationship together because we bonded over the Housewives’.
“So it’s huge for me to have that effect on people and for them to connect at my shows. And they show up in sequins and statement necklaces and they show up for the Countess. And I love that, ’cause life is all about elegance and flair and savoir faire.”
“I’m covering Pink in this show, David Bowie, along with my greatest hits, too. I show clips of the Housewives. I’m just excited to get back over the pond, because I had such a great tour last time. I had to bring a whole new show. And so I’m excited for you in Bristol to to see it.
Tickets for Countess Cabaret are available from countessluann.com.