Variety show at Egyptian Theatre features puppets, music, dance

By ANDY FOX

REVIEW

“Live From Budapest,” a variety show hatched from the mind of the venerable Brian Starr that features native DeKalbians showcasing their talents, held its first performance at the Egyptian Theatre, 135 N. Second St., this past Saturday to a varied crowd of the old and young alike.

Confusingly having nothing to do with the actual Hungarian city of Budapest, the idea for the show was conceived by Starr, also notable for his Team Karaoke appearances every Thursday at Otto’s, 118 E. Lincoln Highway, while he roamed in the Nevada desert in search of his calling in life and dreamed up a fantastical place where everyone’s dreams may come true on a stage.

Those dreams came true for the following performers: the Emergence Dance Theater’s Shakti Belly Dancers, a cool Neil Young-esque songwriter Tramp Swan, classical performers Eric Miller and Sue Ellen Dubbert, a shadow puppeteer from the Toy Box Theatre, comedienne Jackie Perez, jazz performers The Lil’ Phat Band and, most notably, Brian Starr himself.

Despite some setbacks, including the canceling of the headlining act, comedian Jim Wiggins, and a few performers who inconveniently suffered illnesses merely days before the date of the show, “Live From Budapest” held it together and delivered an entertaining couple of hours of music, dance and skits.

I especially enjoyed the two performances by the Shakti Belly Dancers, Budapest mainstays who always add some vaguely exotic flavor to the proceedings.

A short set by Tramp Swan, accompanied by host Starr, was a very nice surprise.

Tramp Swan played a couple traditionally tuneful rock ‘n’ roll songs, and the sight of the two very different-looking performers crooning and dueling with acoustic guitars together on stage, one with a shaggy beard and ponytail, the other impeccably tailored and looking like a television host, was strange, yet awesome.

I was particularly amused by a short comedic set from stage manager Jackie Perez, who, true to her personality, did not let the children and senior citizens in the audience trample her desire to curse and discuss mature themes such as sex and drugs.

The skits, following some loose narrative about Brian romancing one of the belly dancers and subsequently losing her to a gigantic, monstrous puppet, were charming in their naivete but could have been tighter.

“Live From Budapest” proved successful in its first outing at the Egyptian Theatre, thanks in no small part to the exhaustive efforts of Starr, who ran around changing costumes and appeared in nearly every performance in some respect.