00:00We are here with the one, the only, Luanne de Lesseves.
00:04You have so much going on in your life, and I want to touch on all of it.
00:07But first of all, the last time you were here, we were talking about Bravo's Love Hotel.
00:10So I need to know how you and James are doing.
00:12Are you guys still in contact?
00:14You know what?
00:15We are.
00:16James and I have a special bond, and I think you saw that on the Love Hotel.
00:22We adore each other.
00:23You know, he's in Hawaii, and I'm in New York, so I always say it's easier to get to Paris.
00:28So, but we're in contact all the time, and he's great, and I adore James.
00:34Now that we've gotten that out of the way, you know, you've been busy with so much, including
00:38your cabaret tour, Welcome to the Luniverse.
00:42What can fans expect to see from your new show?
00:44Well, you know, cabaret, I travel with six guys.
00:47You know, I've got tour managers and my musical director, makeup and hair, drums, bass player,
00:56et cetera.
00:57And I made a show which could support not having such a big band, right?
01:03Which is really, it's a look at the most iconic moments from the Housewives.
01:09And what I do is kind of peel back the layers and talk about what really happened from my
01:14perspective.
01:15So it's so much fun.
01:16You know, I come out to Chic, and then I play clips of these iconic moments.
01:21And then I, you know, I spill the tea on what really happened.
01:25And you know, from the pirate to the photo at the Regency of Bethany, all of that.
01:29And then I get into a Q&A with the audience.
01:31So I get to talk to the audience, and they get to ask me whatever they want.
01:35I can't leave without giving them some money.
01:38So, so it's a really fun show.
01:40It's, you know, it's for, you know, smaller venues who don't have a capacity for a baby
01:44ground piano.
01:46And it's so much fun.
01:47So I love the Luniverse because it's, they're my lunatics, right?
01:51They're, they're into Cabaret.
01:53They're into the Housewives.
01:54They're into Love Hotel.
01:55They're into Crappy Lake, even with Sonia.
01:57So, you know, I feel blessed to, you know, keep on working the way I do.
02:04And Cabaret really has been a lifesaver for me because, you know, the Housewives has been
02:08off for a while, right?
02:10So this has been my major source of income in terms of my career right now.
02:16So, you know, I'm hoping for another TV show very soon.
02:19Fingers crossed.
02:20Maybe we'll hear something at BravoCon.
02:23And yeah, so it's been a great ride.
02:25You know, you've also been doing a bit of acting.
02:27We saw you on last season of Murdoch Mysteries.
02:29You played Noelle Victoria.
02:31You're coming back this season.
02:33How did this all come to be?
02:35And I'm curious because the character's named after your children, right?
02:39So how did that happen?
02:40Well, because, you know, somebody that works on Murdoch, his name is Ian Christensen, who's
02:45fantastic, and actually Nora Lawler, who actually put us together, who's in PR, he had the idea
02:53that, you know, we need something totally different, right, for this season, because it's season 19.
03:01So I actually was in the last season.
03:03I had a smaller part, and they wrote me a bigger part.
03:06I'm the performer that I am in 1912, I think 1914, is this character.
03:14And so I'm a showgirl, which is, you know, very bawdy for that time.
03:20And I'm married to the mayor, who is a scoundrel.
03:24I love words from the, he's a scoundrel.
03:27And, um, and I have a crush on Mr. Murdoch, you know, that too.
03:33So, uh, it, it, it was so much fun.
03:35They're so supportive.
03:36They've been amazing in terms of, you know, listen, I don't do, I do, I do scripted shows.
03:42Sure.
03:42I've done Law & Order.
03:43I've done Royal Pains and other shows.
03:46Um, but I've never done like a time period piece like this.
03:50So it was really fabulous to, um, to play this role, to have the name of my children,
03:56and to have, you know, the people at Murdoch so supportive.
04:00Because, listen, if I mess up, you know, they do this every day, right?
04:04And so I don't want to keep them behind schedules.
04:06So I had to note my lines.
04:08And I had a lot of lines on this role.
04:09So I'm really looking forward for people to see it.
04:11It does sound like a lot of it was kind of taken from you.
04:14The glamorous showgirl.
04:16How do you prep for a role like that where so much of it already is kind of who you are?
04:21Well, they, I think they kind of wrote this, this part for me.
04:24And, you know, I am a showgirl.
04:27You're right.
04:27You know, I worked in Italian television.
04:29I was a showgirl before I was ever on the Housewives or doing Cabaret.
04:33So it was just perfect, you know, alignment.
04:36It's like Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart.
04:39It's like, it's an odd pairing, but somehow I think it really works.
04:43It sounds like we need to get a collab between you and Taylor Swift right now.
04:46With all this showgirl talk, we need it immediately.
04:49God, that would be great, wouldn't it?
04:52Well, switching gears a little bit.
04:53I was very excited to see you, Dorinda and Carol on the BravoCon lineup.
04:57Are you excited to reunite with them in Vegas?
04:59Well, listen, Dorinda and I are very tight.
05:01I see her all the time.
05:03We talk a lot.
05:04And Carol, I've been running into her like of recent.
05:08So, you know, listen, I have no bad blood with Carol.
05:11So I'm looking forward to see her at BravoCon.
05:13There's been this appetite for New York-based shows outside of Roni.
05:17We've seen Next Gen NYC.
05:19They're making In the City now.
05:20Any chance we'll see you and the other gals back on our screens anytime soon?
05:24And if so, what would you want that to look like?
05:27Well, listen, I think that we all have kind of have our lives, right?
05:32And, you know, Sonia's in Florida.
05:35Ramona's in Florida.
05:37Jill's in Florida.
05:38You know, so maybe there's a little OG Florida action going on.
05:42I don't know.
05:43Golden girl-ish, right?
05:45Oh, wow.
05:46The OGs hit Florida.
05:49And so you give Next Gen, you know, my daughter who doesn't really, it's never been her thing.
05:53My kids are both artists, Newell and Victoria.
05:56And, but she said recently, you know, I really like Next Gen.
05:58She's been watching it.
05:59And I go, well, you should be on that show.
06:01Yes.
06:02So, so we'll see what happens.
06:04I think it's, you know, she's already had a casting call, so let's see.
06:07Well, I do want to ask because everybody, and I feel like I've seen a lot of it more
06:11in the last couple of days.
06:12Everybody's been saying, oh, well, what if the next season of Roni is a mix of OG and new?
06:16What if we do that?
06:17People are starting to think that that might be what's happening.
06:20What would be your dream lineup for a Roni cast?
06:24I think it has to be, of course, myself, Sonia,
06:27Dorinda.
06:28I think we need a little Ramona because we need some crazy eyes.
06:33You know, I'd like to see Kelly back.
06:37What about Weinstein?
06:39Whatever happened to Weinstein, right?
06:42She's in Florida.
06:43Jules Weinstein.
06:44And, you know, and maybe we bring, you know, Jenna Lyons, right?
06:51I think that would be a good.
06:52I think she would fit in very well.
06:53She would fit in very well.
06:54Erin.
06:57I saw Uba last night in Greenwich.
06:58I was in Greenwich last night and I saw Uba randomly walking down the street.
07:03Maybe a little Uba action.
07:05You know, Bran has always been my favorite.
07:07So, you know, who knows?
07:09But I think there's a real thirst for the OGs to come back.
07:11Yeah.
07:12Oh, absolutely.
07:13And I've heard through the grapevine.
07:14I was just talking to Dorinda about that, too, a couple weeks ago.
07:16I was telling her, you know, when they come knocking on all your doors again,
07:19you guys better say yes.
07:22Well, I always say, you know, we're going to get to cross that bridge when we get to it.
07:25Let's see.
07:26You know, I, you know, I expect BravoCon where I'm doing my cabaret.
07:30Actually, November 14th, I'll be at the House of Blues.
07:34And so let's hope there's some good announcements going on in terms of what's coming next.
07:40Do you have any other projects that you can tease going forward?
07:43Well, listen, I, you know, besides working on my Luniverse shows and Countess Cabaret,
07:49et cetera, I'm working on a new song.
07:51So I'm excited about that.
07:52It's a classic, but made for dance.
07:55So super excited working with a producer from Florence and the Machines.
07:58And listen, what else?
08:02I mean, more of Murdoch, more, you know, more acting and hopefully hosting.
08:07Yeah, that would be great.
08:09That's what I do is I host, you know.
08:10Yes.
08:11You come to my cabaret.
08:12It's like, you're on my living room couch.
08:14Sit down and enjoy the ride, you know, and that's what I do.
08:17And that's what I love to do, which is, you know, I feel very blessed to have a career after the Housewives.
Comments