Former Rrazz Room to Become Feinstein's on May 8

The Rrazz Room, as it once was. [Photo: Jennifer Yin]

The Rrazz Room, the cabaret space housed inside of the Hotel Nikko, closed at the end of the year amid accusations from the owners that the Nikko exercised racial pressure in the club's entertainment booking. Now the space is going to find a second life as Feinstein's, the first West Coast branch of the popular New York cabaret club owned by cabaret star Michael Feinstein. (Fun fact: He got married to his partner in 2008 in a ceremony performed by Judge Judy.)

The new club will open with a week of performances on May 8 by Tony-winning musical-theatre actress and Bunheads star Sutton Foster, as well as performances by a trio of Hollywood and Broadway grand dames, Mitzi Gaynor, Ann Hampton Calloway, and Barbara Cook. (Noted: the opening lineup consists exclusively of white people. Maybe those accusations had some truth to them?) At $75-95 per ticket, prices are a bit steep for SF, but they include a $30 food and beverage credit for the club itself or for the Hotel Nikko's restaurant, Anzu. See the full schedule here.

Meanwhile, the owners of the Rrazz Room tried to find a second home after its closure in the cursed 1000 Van Ness space, where Holly's Comedy Club and The Showroom both faltered. Unfortunately, the noise at the venue, known as Live at the Rrazz, caused some problems at the AMC movie theaters upstairs, ultimately forcing a reckoning with the Entertainment Commission and the venue's closure.

· Feinstein's to Open May 8 With Shows by Sutton Foster, Mitzi Gaynor [Grub Street]
· Rrazz Room to Become Feinstein's [Chron]
· Unable to Mitigate Sound Issues, Live at the Rrazz Shuts Down Permanently [Grub Street]
· Live at the Rrazz Temporarily Shut Down By Entertainment Commission [Grub Street]
· Rrazz Room management alleges racism in contract negotiations [Examiner]