From 54 Below Producer Scott Siegal
A Story Driven Concert
Bugatti, a Las Vegas and L.A. headliner who has shared stages with Tony Bennett and Michel Legrand, sings and tells the story of how songs originally written for Broadway became part of the beloved American Songbook.
And What a Story it is!
Gershwin and Kander & Ebb, OH MY! George connects songs you know by heart to the people and pivotal moments that made them ageless—how they were written, who sang them, and why they still thrill and razzle-dazzle!
“From Guys and Dolls to The Lion King, Cabaret, Chicago, The Sound of Music, Wicked, and Kander & Ebb’s ‘New York, New York,’ George Bugatti brings the grace, style, and musical chops these songs deserve. I first heard him at 54 Below—his mix of classic crooner finesse and Broadway power was exactly what inspired me to build this show around his voice.”
— Scott Siegel, Writer/Producer, Broadway & All That Jazz
THE GREAT STORY OF BROADWAY JAZZ
By: Eliana Sara
Aug. 18, 2025
On August 13th, jazz singer and musician George Bugatti graced NYC’s 54 Below with The Great Story of Broadway Jazz.
A headliner in Las Vegas and Los Angeles who has performed with everyone from Tony Bennett to Michel Legrand, Bugatti returned to his hometown of New York City to deliver an enchanting evening exploring Broadway’s enduring influence on jazz.
Plenty of jazz standards got their start on Broadway, written by famed composers for stage productions before being later recorded by legends like John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald or Frank Sinatra. With narration by Scott Siegel — who has produced, written, and directed more than 600 major concert events performed worldwide — the night was part concert, part masterclass in Broadway and jazz history. Together, Siegel and Bugatti took the audience on a musical journey.
Bugatti’s classic, smooth voice transported the audience back to the peak of the swing era. He opened with “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” (which of course appears in the musical of the same name) scored by Fats Waller, whose music laid much of the foundation for modern jazz piano. From there, he moved seamlessly through songs that illustrated the close relationship
between Broadway and jazz, and the indelible mark each has left on the other.
Whether performing “I Get a Kick Out of You,” written by Cole Porter for 1934’s Anything Goes (the only musical to turn a profit during the Depression, Siegel helpfully noted), or “The Lady Is a Tramp” from 1937’s Babes in Arms, Bugatti highlighted how many show tunes found second lives as jazz standards. Sometimes, the jazz interpretations even eclipsed their Broadway origins, as with Sinatra’s famous 50’s recordings of both these songs. While Sinatra’s takes probably mean many people do know the showtune origins of many standards, there were still some learning moments. Fans of the genre probably know the jazz standard “How High the Moon,” a song whose beginnings in the 1940 show Two for the Show have been largely forgotten despite its lasting musical legacy.
Even though there was a lot of information given, the performance remained personal and conversational throughout. Introducing Cy Coleman’s “The Best Is Yet to Come,” Bugatti shared, “I really relate to him, being in shows, and behind the piano.” His respect for Coleman — whose Broadway credits include Sweet Charity, Barnum, and City of Angels — shone through as he performed the song with warmth and playfulness.
The audience was engaged with the performance throughout, and they showed their love. As the night drew to a close, Bugatti dove into Kander and Ebb’s work from Chicago, which immediately had the audience snapping along to the overture, and cheering through “Razzle Dazzle.” By the time he ended with “New York, New York,” the crowd was singing and clapping right up until the lights came up. With a voice built for the Great American Songbook and an endearing
stage presence, Bugatti left his audience wanting more, reminding everyone that these songs — and the stories behind them — still swing in the present day.
“Sounding at times like Tony Bennett, Bugatti sings with all the hallmarks of crooner style, half-whispering keywords and sliding silkily through phrases.”
— Daryl H. Miller, LOS ANGELES TIMES.
- Can You Feel the Love Tonight — 1997 — Elton John & Tim Rice — from The Lion King
- Ain’t Misbehavin’ — 1929 — Fats Waller, Andy Razaf, Harry Brooks – Connie’s Chocolates
- I’ve Got Rhythm — 1930 — George & Ira Gershwin — from Girl Crazy
- Night and Day — 1932 — Cole Porter — from Gay Divorce
- I Get a Kick Out of You — 1934 — Cole Porter — from Anything Goes
- The Lady Is a Tramp — 1937 — Rodgers & Hart — from Babes in Arms
- Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered — 1940 — Rodgers & Hart — from Pal Joey
- How High the Moon — 1940 — Morgan Lewis & Nancy Hamilton — from the revue Two for the Show
- Come Rain or Come Shine — 1945 — Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer — from Louis Woman
- I’ve Never Been in Love Before — 1950 — Frank Loesser — from Guys and Dolls
- My Favorite Things — 1959 — Rodgers & Hammerstein — from The Sound of Music
- The Best Is Yet to Come — 1959 — Cy Coleman & Carolyn Leigh — (often associated with Something More!)
- All That Jazz / Razzle Dazzle — 1975 — Kander & Ebb — from Chicago
- Maybe This Time — 1972 — Kander & Ebb — from Cabaret
- Theme from “New York, New York” — 1976 — Kander & Ebb – from New York, New York
- Where am I Going – 1966 – Cy Coleman, Dorothy Fields -from Sweet Charity
- Popular/Defying Gravity — 2005 — Stephen Schwartz — from Wicked
ENCORE: What I Did for Love — from A Chorus Line