BWW Interviews: Diminutive Diva Zadora Returns to the Stage in PIA ZADORA: BACK AGAIN AND STANDING TALL

With Frank Sinatra's former pianist and music director Vincent Falcone at the helm, San Francisco's Rrazz Room in the lovely Hotel Nikko is hosting the Northern California exclusive engagement of Pia Zadora: BACK AGAIN AND STANDING TALL! Returning to the stage after a hiatus, the diminutive Zadorra, standing 5' foot even in barefeet, brings the 75-minute nightclub act to the acoustically-desirable Rrazz Room Wednesday, June 8 through Sunday, June 12. Show times and ticket prices vary, so please visit www.therrazzroom.com for specific times/prices.

Zadora combined forces with three-time Emmy-winning director/choreographer Walter Painter and Emmy-nominated writer Jon Macks to create this seamless, steamlined 75-minute act. Macks has written for the Tonight Show, as well as for the Tony Awards and the Academy Awards presentations and is known for his comedy writing. Among the tunes the Grammy-nominated Zadora will sing include "The Lady is a Tramp," "All of Me," and "The Man That Got Away." Not only is Zadora Grammy-nominated, she received a Golden Globe Award for Butterfly as "New Star of the Year." She has received other awards as well.

Below you'll find the Q&A "E-terview" (E-mail interview) I did with Pia recently. These are her responses, in her own words.

Greetings, Pia! Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions on your upcoming show. Thanks much... here we go! Pia, you've worked in nearly every milieu of the entertainment industry, now you're bringing an intimate act to the Rrazz Room. What spurred the creation of Pia Zadora: BACK AGAIN AND STANDING TALL?

My new platforms-  I'm 5 feet five now-just someone getting cute!

People love having labels they can pigeonhole or get a quick-hit on. Would you call this act a nightclub act, a cabaret act, or a...?

Whats the difference between a night club act and a cabaret act-aren't they the same thing?

Aside from your signature song, "It's Not Where You Start, It's Where You Finish," which other songs sum up where you are in your career right now?

I don't do "It's not where you start" anymore-we took it out-need to update the website-
I'm nowhere in my career right now except singing again-guess you could call it a "comeback" or an attempt at one-oh-my opening number-"pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start all over again"-guess that would be it.

Which song in the show do you feel audiences will be most surprised to hear you sing?

Surprise song-probably none.

Intimate shows performed by celebrities & geared towards cabaret/nightclub/jazz venues seem to be on the rise. What do you personally feel is the appeal for these acts?

Chardonay and a room with no windows-for me I think the appeal is getting to know someone's story in an intimate setting-thru music and performance art.

The Other Place celebrities are cropping up is Broadway. You've done several Broadway shows. What show would you consider stepping into?

Dunno-haven't been to NY for a while.

If a producer was about to mount a specific show on Broadway, one that you would nearly kill to do, what would your dream show/role be (in case there are any producers out there reading this!)?

Probably Momma Rose in Gypsy-but it might be too close to home-on both my mother and daughter side.

What do you hope that audiences will come away from your show knowing or feeling about you? What new glimpse will they capture?

PZ: Just that I'm real and love what I am doing.

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Pia Zadora in Pia Zadora: BACK AGAIN AND STANDING TALL at The Rrazz Room, Wednesday, June 8 through Sunday, June 12. Show times and ticket prices vary, so please visit www.therrazzroom.com for specific times/prices.

Photo: Greg Gorman