by Len Lear

Michael Richard Kelly-Cataldi is a talented, charismatic multi-tasker who in 1994 opened the city’s first pet boutique, “…and Toto, too!®” which won a Philadelphia Magazine “Best of Philly®” award. He has also been the property manager of a condo building with 160 residential units and 20 commercial units in Philadelphia, and he has sold diamonds, high-end jewelry and homes.

But Michael’s first love, career-wise, has been his three decades as a professional singer/entertainer who has performed in regional theaters and in Atlantic City, Denver, Los Angeles and Europe, including The Casino De Monte Carlo in Monaco. In 1996, he was recognized with a “Best of Philly®” Award for his popular cabaret act.

In business, Michael and Dino Kelly-Cataldi, who are married and reside in Wyndmoor, are the owners of the gifts & home décor shop, Kelly-Cataldi HOME, which has been located in the Keswick Village neighborhood of Glenside since 2011. And last June 24 Michael and Dino opened Dino's Backstage & Celebrity Room at 287 N. Keswick Ave. in Glenside, followed on Sept. 30 with a Grand Opening celebration. It is an upscale restaurant and performance venue. Last week we interviewed Michael, who is the entertainment director/owner of the new property:

What was there in your building before Dino’s Backstage?

“It was Keswick Kitchen & Bath; Aerus, an Electrolux vacuum repair shop, and Keswick Coffee.”

How long did the construction/renovation take?

Fourteen months. EVERYTHING was taken back to concrete & brick. EVERYTHING. It would have been easier to do new construction.”

In your singing career, what was your most memorable performance and why?

“It was performing for the royal family of Monaco. We were doing our show, ‘The All Night Strut,’ in Atlantic City mid-July, and Charles Aznavour was headlining right after us. He saw the show and said that it was ‘Magnifique!’ and said he wanted to take it to Monte Carlo. We thought he was kidding. We opened at ‘The Sporting Club d’Hiver’ for the royal family the first week in September. We moved the show to The Casino de Monte Carlo and played there for four weeks after. It was a whirlwind!”

How are you doing compared to how you thought you would do at Dino’s Backstage?

“We’re pretty much right on target. The weekends are selling out, and the weekdays are a bit slower. What we didn’t anticipate is the number of private parties we are doing. So it balances  out.”

A couple people have said to me, “There is no way a cabaret with upscale food can fill the seats on weekdays out here in Glenside. This is not Center City.” I am sure you have heard the same thing. What is your reply?

“We hear it ALL the time. ‘What made you open up THIS in GLENSIDE?’ We based it all on our shop across the street, Kelly-Cataldi HOME. We have 2,800 customers there, but only 600 are from Glenside. The other 2,200 people are from a huge circle around us; Huntingdon Valley, Rydal, Meadowbrook, Elkins Park, Melrose Park, Jenkintown, Abington, Wyncote, Wyndmoor, Chestnut Hill, Blue Bell, Ambler, Dresher, Upper Dublin, even Center City, etc. These people go into Center City with regularity. Now they travel half the distance for twice the experience: dinner AND a show. By the way, there is no place like this in Center City.”

What nights do you perform yourself?

“I perform one weekend a month, and sometimes more.”

I read somewhere that you can trace your family background to William the Conqueror, who lived about 1,000 years ago. How did you do that?

“I did it mostly through ancestry.com. It’s from my father’s side, through the Packer’s branch. Packer to Berkeley to Mowbray to De Seagrave to Plantagenet. King Edward I ‘Longshanks’ Plantagenet is my 20th great-grandfather. William the Conqueror is my 26th great-grandfather.”

Why did you want to create a place like Dino’s Backstage? It seems like no one wants to get dressed up anymore.

“There is a picture that is now proudly on display in our main dining room of Dino’s mother, Mary, with all her girlfriends ‘out on the town’ at Palumbo’s to see Johnny Mathis in 1965. Everyone was there to have a good time, enjoying each other’s company, and it involved food and music. I never got that picture out of my head because I wanted to find a place like that for us to go to. That never happened. We are not ‘casual’ people. I’ve owned the same pair of sneakers since 2008 because I just wear them to the gym. ‘Casual’ to me is wearing a blazer and not a suit. We are not a place to ‘grab a bite to eat.’ We are a place to ‘go out for the evening.’ We are constantly being thanked by strangers for opening a place where they CAN get dressed up and not be the only one. The only place to get dressed up before us was to go to a wedding. Now you can make it a night (without having to buy a wedding present).”

What is the best advice you ever received?

“When I got my first ‘professional’ show, ‘Forbidden Broadway,’ in 1983, my producer was a man named Stan Hurwitz. I was 21 and had lost my father the year before. He was 38. He said to me that he was going to give me just this one piece of advice. I waited with bated breath. Stan said that I should live my life as a ‘mensch.’ I told him I would, as soon as he told me what a ‘mensch’ was. He said it was a person who does good just for the sake of doing good and expects nothing in return. This is how I live my life.”

For more information, call 215-884-2000 or visit www.DinosBackstage.com