Wilton Manors’ newest cabaret space, The West End Lounge has been poised to curate a nightlife experience centered around its Mid-century Modern aesthetic, inspired by The Starlite Room in Palm Springs. Owner Chris O’Neill states “I really wanted to bring something unique to Wilton Manors and the greater South Florida region. We designed a gorgeous, but comfortable space, centered around impeccable service, that will highlight national, Broadway and local talent; even incorporating musicians from the South Florida Symphony. Our cocktail menu is inventive and offers something for everyone – from classic to ultramodern.” The West End hosted a VIP event featuring Broadway actor Jay Armstrong Johnson who was most recently seen in the Tony Award-winning revival of “Parade” and on NBC’s “Quantico.”

Backed by a piano player Rick Leonard, Jay Armstrong Johnson kicked off the set with a solo rendition of “Something’s Coming” from the musical “West Side Story.” With a leading man bravado, Johnson’s strident tenor adapted the arrangements of musical theater songs from the Golden Age onward. The singer interspersed the traditional Broadway sound with some covers of Michael Buble’s versions of tracks like Amy Winehouse on “Me and Mr. Jones” and Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good.” 

Johnson infused personal anecdotes into the cabaret set with his first Broadway show he fell in love with the craft in “42nd Street” as well as, a truly heartfelt rendition “A Whole New World” from “Aladdin” where his partner, David Wright Jr who is a fellow Broadway performer. In “Aladdin,” David Wright Jr is an actor in the ensemble who often goes on for the titular role, yet I previously saw the performer in Fort Lauderdale in the ensemble of the musical “Mean Girls” in March 2020. Jay Armstrong Johnson closed out the show with a rousing medley of tunes from “Hello Dolly!” and cemented an absolutely gorgeous evening. With a variety of signature cocktails and mocktails, The West End Lounge is curating a new vibe not yet seen in our corner of South Florida and with a bevy of local and Broadway talent coming through the space, the lounge is poised to become the intimate place to be.