Singers Natalie Cordone and Shawn Kilgore team to perform the classic hit songs of famed Las Vegas entertainers in the cabaret show “Vegas Baby: Hits of the Headliners” on Saturday, July 26 at 8 p.m. at Aventura Arts & Cultural Center in Aventura.
The duo will be performing songs in tribute to the major performers who dominated Las Vegas venues such as the Caesars Palace, Las Vegas Hilton and MGM, such as Cher, Neil Diamond, Celine Dion, Elton John, Tom Jones, Barry Manilow, Wayne Newton, Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, among others.
“Natalie and I are both very big fans of the music and singers of the past 60 years that tourists heard and expected when they wanted to be entertained in Las Vegas,” said Kilgore.
“Those songs demanded strong vocals, high energy and unforgettable personalities, that is what we remember when we think of Barbra (Streisand), Cher and Frank (Sinatra) in Las Vegas. That is why so many of their fans went back to see them in Las Vegas for decades,” said Cordone.
Cordone and Kilgore bring back the memories of the Las Vegas stars, not by impersonating the famous singers, but by interpreting songs with performances that were inspired by the Las Vegas headliners
The duo will perform 25 plus songs in the two act cabaret that will include memorable songs such as “Copacabana” (Barry Manilow), “Danke Schoen” (Wayne Newton), “If I Can Turn Back Time” (Cher), “It’s Not Unusual” (Tom Jones), “Luck Be A Lady” (as a duet with Barbra Streisand and Frank Sinatra), “My Heart Will Go On” (Celine Dion), “Nine to Five” (Dolly Parton)“, “Sweet Caroline” (Neil Diamond) “The Beat Goes On” (Sonny & Cher) and “Viva Las Vegas’ (Elvis Presley)among other songs.
Natalie Cordone’s singing range, sounding like both a mellow range Eydie Gorme or a soprano like Julie Andrew has the musical versatility to sound like Cher, Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand.
Shawn Kilgore’s baritone range and comic flair enrich his performances with songs by Elton John, Tom Jones, Barry Manilow, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.
Cordone and Kilgore sing in solo sections in the show and surprise the audience with innovative duets, wearing many different costumes and dresses.
“We are creating a Las Vegas style show, so Natalie and I are creating larger than life performances that audiences expect when they hear these famous performers.”
Singers Natalie Cordone and Shawn Kilgore share comic banter on stage in “Vegas Baby: Hits of the Headliners” on Saturday, July 26 at Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. Photo by Phil Klem.
Cardone and Kilgore performed “Vegas Baby: Hits of the Headliners” in 2023 at Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, and what made the show so appealing then, as it will on July 26, is the ability of the duo to improvise with the audience and creating comic banter between songs.
For example, the comic banter that the duo creates onstage in recalling the interaction of Sonny & Cher (in which Cher pokes fun at Sonny for being short and a bad lover and Sonny criticizes Cher for her extravagant dresses) provokes many fond memories from the “Sonny & Cher Show” on television.
“What is very important is for us to share how much we loved the Las Vegas singers who had larger than life personalities that made them celebrities and not just singers,” said Cardone.
Another unique aspect of the “Vegas Baby: Hits of the Headliners” show is for audiences to experience a wide array of contrasting musical styles in one show. such as the country music sound of Dolly Pardon, the jazzy, upbeat Frank Sinatra songs and the slick hip body movements by Kilgore when he performs the songs of Tom Jones and Elvis Presley.
Singers Natalie Cordone and Shawn Kilgore sing a duet on stage in “Vegas Baby: Hits of the Headliners” on Saturday July 26 at Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. Photo by Phil Klem.
Cardone and Kilgore have been performing together for 13 years and have so much chemistry on stage that audiences are surprised to learn that they are not a married couple.
“I have a partner in my private life, but I spend so much time with Shawn, that it is natural for people to think we are married,” said Cordone.
Although the duo perform together mostly in cabaret shows, they began their careers in musical theater when they first met and performed as a fictional married couple in the 2012 musical “Baby”.
Their onstage chemistry led the duo to recreate the magic of the music of the late singers Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme in a national tour of “This Could Be the Start of Something Big” for eight years that was performed at Aventura Center several years ago.
“When Covid hit us, we decided to try something new, but Shawn and I still love performing the music of Steve and Eydie and we may revive that show again in the future,” said Cardone.
Based in Orlando, both Cordone and Kilgore had success in show business for the past 20 years, even when they did not perform together. Cordone started her career in show business singing and dancing. She performed in many roles in musical theater but excelled as a featured singer, singing Gershwin and musical standards of The Great American Songbook, primarily for the Colorado Symphony and Orlando Philharmonic Orchestras.
Both have performed in many South Florida venues over the years both as singers and in musical theater. Cordone won the 2022 Carbonell Award for her performance as the lead character in “I Hate Hamlet” at the Maltz Jupiter Theater. She will perform again in 2026 at Maltz Jupiter Theater, portraying June Levant in the drama “Good Night Oscar”.
Kilgore has spent more than a decade in South Florida perfecting his craft in comedy and musical theater. He was cast as “Perchick” in the musical “Fiddler on the Roof” with actors Avi Hoffman and Laura Turnbull in the now defunct Hollywood Playhouse in 2001.
Kilgore’s other performances in South Florida include his comic performances in the musicals “A New Brain” at Mosaic Theater in Plantation and “Zombie Prom” at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
Perhaps what is most memorable for Kilgore is his nine years of performing in sketch comedy with the now defunct “Laffing Matterz”.in Ft. Lauderdale from 2005-2013.
“I learnt so much from my time with ‘Laffing Matterz’. The musical comedy troupe was like a local version of ‘Saturday Night Live’ poking fun at political topics and world events. Everyone in the troupe doubled as waiters, as customers had dinner with the show. Among other things, I earned a good tip and had repeat business from customers who liked both the dinner and the show.”
“Professionally, I grew as a performer and learned the art of teamwork, and the many things needed to produce a high-quality show and it shows in the work that Natalie and I do behind the scenes in creating the best high energy shows in all our productions,” said Kilgore.
Cordone and Kilgore together write and produce all their shows and hire the musicians that perform with them in all their productions.
“We love performing and doing all the behind the scenes work necessary for the audiences to enjoy all our shows. The bottom line is that I love working with Shawn for all these years and trust his judgment for us to blend as a team on stage,” said Cordone.
