Luann de Lesseps, perhaps better known as Countess Luann as one of the original castmates of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” has gotten used to explaining her version of cabaret.
”It’s really a personal story, how culture meets cabaret meets comedy meets a fashion show, because I’ll be wearing Jovani,” she said. “And it’s a party, it’s a full-on party.”
She’s bringing the newest version of her Countess Cabaret show — this one dubbed Marry F Kill — with a pair of shows Sunday at City Winery Pittsburgh in the Strip District.
De Lesseps said she plays video highlights and tell stories that lead into her original songs, like “Money Can’t Buy You Class” and “Feeling Jovani,” and covers in a fully immersive show.
“It’s pop culture because I show clips from Bravo, you know, Bethenny (Frankel) screaming at me, ‘life is not a cabaret.’ Well, guess what? It is a cabaret. At least for me, it is,” she said. “And so it’s really a great time. I see people driving in in a Toyota and they drive out in a Rolls Royce because I put on a great show.”
With a show titled after her latest single, “Marry F Kill,” de Lesseps added that game would be featured during her Pittsburgh debut.
“I play Marry F Kill with the audience,” she said. “I tell them stories that they like to know about, because it is all about who we’d marry, who we’d want to F and who we’d want to get rid of — we’re not killing anybody. I get into all that and things that they’ve never heard.”
In a call Monday from the Hamptons, de Lesseps talked about the evolution of her show, the Marry F Kill game and “Love Hotel,” her new reality show coming in the spring:
Did you find it challenging to branch off into something like this?
When I started, “(Countess) Cabaret” was not even cabaret. It was a variety show, and then it kind of slowly morphed into my own show because of so many reasons. I used to have guests on some of the shows, and people would just go to the bathroom or get a drink the minute I left the stage. So we realized that this is a one-woman show and so I’ve been doing that for the last couple of years, and it really morphed into cabaret — who’s doing cabaret these days, right? So it was kind of a void for this, which I didn’t even know I was filling. It’s just kind of morphed into it and because you know what: I do what I love and when you do what you love, it tends to work out to your advantage.
You said you’ve been asked (about the Marry F Kill game) a lot. Have you gotten any scenarios that are truly a no-win situation?
Yeah, that’s when I plead the Fifth like Andy (Cohen). (laughs) All right, sometimes I’ll get (Donald) Trump and I’m like, well, we’re not here to talk about politics. We’re here to have a good time, right? Reality (TV) has been good for me because I’m pretty good off the cuff. You have to be. You have to be with those Housewives. You’ve got to be on your game.
Being in front of the camera for all these years, is it just natural to know you’re under the microscope, to have all these eyes on you?
It has become (natural) because I’ve been doing it for so long, that’s true. So the stage is for me, I feel at home there. It’s getting ready that’s the problem, getting the makeup and the hair and I just can’t wait to get up and go out and do my show because I love it and I enjoy it and people can see that. I think that’s part of my success. They see I’m having a great time, and they’re in for it.
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You have something else coming up that you just recently filmed, so what can you tell about “Love Hotel”?
Oh, “Love Hotel.” I wrote a song about it. I can’t share it with you yet, but I’ve already written a song for the show because that’s what I do. I write all my music pretty much. I have producers that I work with of course. I worked with Desmond Child to do “Viva La Diva.” … So I wrote a song though with somebody actually on the show, who’s a singer and songwriter. So I’m very excited for the fans to hear that song when the show comes out next spring. I’m excited about that show. It’s the first ever dating show for Bravo. So I’m really happy to be a part of that as one of the first original Housewives. So I’m excited for fans to see that show when it comes out. And it was fun filming with the other Housewives who I didn’t know very well, Ashley Darby and Gizelle (Bryant) and Shannon Beador. So I think fans are really going to love it.
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Do you think it’s possible to find love on a TV show?
Yes, otherwise I wouldn’t have done it. (laughs) I’m looking for a boyfriend, darling. (laughs) I’m dating, I’m dating, but I don’t have any (men) in my life. But I did meet somebody on the show.