DeKalb showman and self-proclaimed theatrical philanthropist Brian Starr organized a variety show performed at Studio B on Thursday night.

The ambiguously titled “Live from Budapest Variety Show” featured talents from stand-up comedy to belly dancing, peppered with cringe-worthy karaoke performances.

Starr introduced the evening with an enthusiastic “Budapest: Where Dreams Come True” song-and-dance, commenting after the show on the Hungarian capital’s mystique.

“I have no idea anything about Budapest; who the hell does?” Starr said.

The location’s obscurity was pivotal to his choosing it as a title, the eclectic assortment of performances validated the exotic name.

A three-song set of Finnish and Scandinavian accordion music started the night strong and set the tone for the rest of the evening’s oddities. Also exhibiting diversity were the Shakti Dancers and the Mexican Luchador puppet wrestling match, en español.

The majority of the acts were more domestic. Stand-up comics John Cacioppo of DeKalb and Will Smith of Aurora both used material identifiable to a college audience, such as ramen noodles and slacking off. The tragic poetry of Sam Brakefield was deeply humanized by the author’s visible nervousness.

The acts were punctuated by musical performances from Starr, which varied from teary-eyed ballads to a number performed in the wig-and-dress persona of schoolteacher, “Ms. Lorraine.”

For the finale, the night’s performers handed out lyric sheets to “Part of Your World” from “The Little Mermaid” soundtrack for an energetic audience sing-along.

Starr, who moved to DeKalb a year ago, is soon leaving for Florida. He hopes to return every two months to put on another show.

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