FORT LAUDERDALE – Tired of waiting for cruise ships to return to sea, Jeff Taveggia elected to create opportunities for out-of-work entertainers who relied on those floating cities for their livelihood.
Taveggia and co-producer Marguerite Scott created the Scandalous Nights Variety Show, which premieres Friday, Jan. 29 at Fort Lauderdale’s Empire Stage.
“We just want to do something productive,” Taveggia said. “How long can performers go without performing?”
Cruise ship entertainers like Taveggia haven’t performed at sea since March. Only recently has he entertained live audiences.
That allowed for plenty of free time for Taveggia to learn to produce a show.
“If nothing else, it’s a passion project to keep our sanity,” Taveggia said.
A decades-long veteran of cruise ship entertainment, Taveggia’s act combines humor and juggling. He launched his entertainment career by attending the Ringling Brother’s clown college. A popular television show from his youth drew Taveggia to a career on the open seas.
“When I was a kid ‘The Love Boat’ was on TV, and I just thought it was super, super cool,” Taveggia said.
As the name implies, Scandalous Nights isn’t exactly the kind of show Taveggia could get away with on a more family-oriented cruise ship.
The show features three acts. The first is Taveggia or some other comedic act. In a nod to the Wilton Manors neighborhood near the Empire Stage, the second act is a drag show. The third act is a more traditional burlesque show aimed at the heterosexual males.
“We have the drag side for the gay crowd and the burlesque side for the straight crowd, and then we have the comedy – magician, juggler or comedian – for everybody altogether,” Taveggia said.
Since the performances will have adult themes and even partial nudity, Taveggia highly recommends an 18-years-old and older age minimum for fans.
“We’re encouraging the comedians to do stuff they normally wouldn’t do on the ships,” Taveggia said.
Scandalous Nights will perform three times per weekend, with the Friday and Saturday shows beginning at 8 p.m. and the Sunday show starting at 5 p.m.
For the opening weekend Taveggia will serve as the comedy/juggling act, followed by drag artist Amanda Austin, and concluding with Angeliki, billed as the Greek Goddess of Burlesque. Nicholette replaces Austin on the bill for the Saturday show. Tickets are $35.
Scandalous Nights is booked through February. A complete lineup for each show can be found on the Applause Break Events page.
