Failella is frankly no ordinary performer

The Gardenia Room Betsyann Failella just opened
her cabaret show, "No Ordinary Thing."

By Nick Rabinowitsh
Daily Bruin Contributor
[email protected]

A woman in a black dress sings to jazz rhythms in the dimly-lit,
smoke-filled Empire Diner of New York City. As she drifts through
the melody, a man walks up to her and asks, “Is there anyone
in there?” motioning towards the rest room immediately behind
her.

This is not a typical scene in the life of a cabaret singer. But
then again, Betsyann Failella’s life has always been far from
ordinary.

Failella brings what she calls her “enthusiastic but dark
view of life” to her newest cabaret show, “No Ordinary
Thing,” excavating the unusual in life, love and song. The
show will run at The Gardenia Room on Santa Monica Boulevard every
Monday at 9 p.m., from now through June 24.

The show’s content is as eclectic as the life of its star,
who also produces television commercials. The songs she performs
range from the “unabashedly romantic” to songs in what
she calls the style of the “woman in a black dress,”
singing about the sad ironies of love. Her inspiration ranges from
jazz to more modern, folky pop.

Included in her performance is music from Cy Coleman and Dorthy
Fields, John Bucchino, Steve Allen, Randy Newman and Cole Porter.
She makes it quite clear, though, that her mission is not to
emulate these human musical milestones.

“My goal is to bring a really personal, modern, feminine
perspective to music,” Failella said in a phone interview.
“A song is a monologue ““ an acting piece. You have to
find what’s personal to you and you have to live in the
lyrics.”

She also explains that the music she chooses has a special
significance to her.

“There are a lot of artists who do the same stuff over and
over again. I am interested in expanding the idea of what is great
popular music, what is not overdone,” she said.

Failella also explains her cabaret in more blunt terms.

“It’s an idiosyncratic woman’s search for the
meaning of life in songs that haven’t been sung by every
jackass within 100 miles of a microphone,” she said.

It all began when she was a child, growing up listening to
Sinatra with her parents. She has stayed true to her favorite genre
of music, and she has her own reasons for loving it so much.

“There is a striking feature to jazz age singers:
euphemism. Today, songwriters are much more literal. Jazz-age
singers left more to the imagination,” Failella said.

The singer got her start at the Empire Diner in New York City.
After working as head waitress, she began to sing nights at the
restaurant.

On one of these nights, the owner of Reno Sweeny’s
nightclub, known as one of the prestigious cabaret spots in New
York, offered her a job.

In the 1980s, she toured the United States, performing in
musical revues as well as in other theater shows.

She even worked briefly at a New Orleans locale that was
frequented by more drag queens than actresses.

Since then, her love for the music of Sinatra has inspired her
to create a studio album as a tribute to his work, titled
“Can I Be Frank?”

Now, Failella is currently in what she calls the very
preliminary stages of creating a new studio album. She has not yet
begun recording, but her current show at The Gardenia Room has a
strong influence on her future album’s content.

“Part of the goal of my show at the Gardenia is to put
music up to the audience and see what the reaction is,” she
said. “The show will change from week to week as I add new
music or take out things that the audience does not respond
particularly strongly to.”

Failella currently resides here in Los Angeles. She moved here
mainly to become involved in producing television commercials for
companies such as Chevron, Lexus, Toyota, Isuzu, Nissan, Budweiser,
Coca-Cola and many others. Her most recognizable production might
be the Budweiser commercial of Clydesdales playing football (aired
during a Superbowl a few years ago) and the current Isuzu Axiom
spots with the silhouetted man speaking sensually about a
sport-utility vehicle.

“I’ve done everything from the ridiculous to the
sublime,” Failella said about her life in general. “One
of the things I believe you must do in life is laugh uncontrollably
every single day.”

Her show at The Gardenia Room strives to correlate exactly with
her outlook on the cabaret that is her life.

THEATER: Betsyann Failella will be performing
her show “No Ordinary Thing” at The Gardenia Room
located at 7066 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood. The show runs
Mondays at 9 p.m., through June 24. Admission is $10 per person,
with an additional $10 food and/or drink minimum per person.
 Reservations may be made by calling The Gardenia Room at
(323) 467-7444. Street parking is available.