About us

Wanderlust Productions of Louisiana, L.L.C. was founded in October 2018 by CEO Jane Albright and Co-producer Paul Bello. Jane, a classically trained dancer, choreographer, actress, vocalist, filmmaker and producer; and Paul, an actor, singer, producer and theater operator of many years on local and regional stages. They formed Wanderlust Productions to fill a void in a community which can boast of a broad, deep, and varied pool of underutilized talent.

During the summer of 2018, the team began to consider the best way to showcase this broad talent base and put as many local performers to work as possible on a regular basis. They decided to explore the possibility of mounting a recurring variety show, but one that was not merely a review of one act after the other. It had to be one that kept the audience engaged, redirecting their attention from form to form in a continuous, seamless flow of entertainment which nonetheless shifted in movement and intensity. With this nascent concept in mind, the team knew they required an anchor to bring the audience back to center through the evening. They found this anchor with the rediscovery of the Pat Barberot Orchestra.

Realizing at once that the 12-piece Pat Barberot Orchestra was the anchor they needed, and determined not to let one of New Orleans’ true musical jewels disappear into obscurity, they encouraged the band’s leader Bryan Barberot to maintain the orchestra and join them in the promotion and production of this concept, which now became fully formed and focused. It would become a 1940s New York-style nightclub, with a floor show spotlighting all of the varied talent and performance disciplines New Orleans has to offer, evoking a Cotton Club experience of that era.

But there was still one piece left to the puzzle. This show required an appropriate venue to perfect it and pull it off. After a month of searching, the last piece to the puzzle was set, and the Calico Club Cabaret was born in the beautiful period-perfect Ramp Room of the historic Little Gem Saloon on Rampart Street, opening on November 7, 2018. There the Calico Club Cabaret blossomed, playing to adoring audiences, who dressed, imbibed fine cocktails, supped from a sumptuous menu, danced to three sets of Big Band classics, and who, guided by a skilled Master of Ceremonies keeping the show moving for a continuous, lilting 2 1/2 hours, sat entertained during band breaks by variety acts of all kinds: Opera, Tango, Puppeteers, Comedians, Magicians, Virtuoso Pianists, Jazz Vocalists, all the best talent to be found. The show continues to be produced in other venues around New Orleans. Once inside the club, our audiences remain. They do not leave until the show is over, and when they leave they leave smiling and happy.