Broadway star Melissa Errico brings a night of dark romance to the Carpenter Center – Orange County Register

The Carpenter Center will transform into a sexy and romantic old-style Hollywood lounge as Tony Award-nominated singer Melissa Errico performs music inspired by noir films to the Long Beach stage for a pair of shows called “A Noir Romance.”

The November 13-14 concerts are part of the venue’s Cabaret Series, the Center’s most intimate performance experience, with audiences seated on tables on stage just a few feet away from the performer. It is a fitting setting for a music evening in which Errico sings sensual songs about ill-fated romances, mystery, obsessions and thwarted dreams, themes that can be found in noir films.

“It’s a dark and sexy night,” Errico said. “It has everything to do with a fantasy, being in love with the wrong person, taking a wrong turn in your life, walking down the city streets and hearing a lonely trumpet or saxophone.”

She adds to the fantasy of the evening by dressing in a classic Hollywood style, inspired by film icon Rita Hayworth, who starred in several movies in the noir era. Her goal is to make people feel like they are in a smoke-filled jazz club in New York City.

“As an entertainer, as an interpretive singer, cabaret and jazz singer, I consider this my sexy lingerie that I don’t bring out very often,” Errico said.

Errico starred on Broadway in shows such as ‘My Fair Lady’, ‘High Society’, ‘Dracula’ and ‘Les Misérables’. She also has a lifelong love of American noir films from the 1940s, which she watched every night during the pandemic.

This rekindled passion led to her 2022 album ‘Out Of The Dark: The Film Noir Project’, featuring songs from noir classics such as the 1944 murder mystery film ‘Laura’ and the 1952 drama ‘The Bad and The Beautiful’. original melodies. Errico will perform songs from this album during the Long Beach show.

She will also take on the role of a femme fatale to add more authenticity to the spirit of the night. It’s a personality she developed while watching noir films during the pandemic while her family slept.

“When the kids were in bed, I opened my laptop and walked into some noir films. On one level I’m here and on the other I’m not here, I’m there, I’m a noir heroine and I’ve walked into this other world myself. This is the basis of my concert. Even though it’s kind of winking and funny, it’s like a housewife who ended up in her noir movie,” she said.

A Noir romance

When: 7pm November 13-14

Where: The Carpenter Center, 6200 E Atherton St, Long Beach

Tickets: $58.75 – $68.75

Information: carpentersarts.org