The Marvelous Mr. Marzo

When actor and singer Scott Raneri was pondering a theme for his New York solo cabaret debut show, he decided to go back to his roots — literally.

Last December, Raneri registered to take a DNA test with the ubiquitous genetic testing company 23andMe. Raneri wanted to learn more about his ancestry and his health profile. When he found he was a genetic match with a cousin he didn’t know he had, that led to a more startling discovery — that his grandfather was NOT the man who was married to his grandmother, but was a family friend named Butch Marzo. Hence the show’s title.

Featuring songs by Stephen Sondheim, Cy Coleman, Peggy Lee, André Previn, Amanda McBroom, David Friedman, Fred Barton, and more, Scott Raneri’s The Marvelous Mr. Marzo is written by Joey Virgo and directed by Mark Corpron, with musical director Brad Ross on piano, David Ashton on woodwinds, Marco Panascia on bass, and orchestrations by Ben Morris.