'Runway' alum does Glamorama Most people recognize Chris March from his memorable appearance on the fourth season of "Project Runway," thanks to his over-the-top personality and penchant for sequins and glitter. The fan favorite is in town Friday for Macy's Glamorama at the Orpheum Theatre, for which he's creating costumes for the opening number. We spoke with him over the phone from his home in New York.

Q: You got people talking with the gowns you designed for Meryl Streep for the Golden Globes and Oscars. What was it like working with her?

A: She's one of the most famous actresses in the world so I was a little bit nervous to meet her, but it turned out she was a big fan of mine. She's so sweet and so nice, and she just knows what she wants. Coming up with something that ended up on the top 10 list was amazing.

Q: Drag queen Bambi Lake has said that her inspiration for doing drag happened after she viewed Andy Warhol's film "Trash." What was the defining moment that made you decide to express yourself in drag?

A: Wow, I never really thought of it until now. It had to be when I found a copy of "Mommie Dearest" at a flea market.

Q: What would be your advice for incoming contestants on "Project Runway"?

A: Make sure that you're young and strong and you can live without sleep. That's what it's all about. The show is about design, but honestly if you can't sew and pattern quickly, you will lose. It's a sewing race, but with entertainment value.

Q: What was your favorite challenge on a different season that you wish you could have done?

A: That's easy: the Bob Mackie challenge. He's one of my idols.

Q: What can we expect from you at Glamorama?

A: They asked me to come up with a costume segment for the opening number, so there's a couple of very wild pieces. There's a lot of dancers, there's video, there's disco balls, there's all sorts of things. It's a very beautiful, great way to open the show.

• Jahna Peloquin

Blues Saloon to Club Cancun

With its current trouble-spot location becoming too troublesome, Wilebski's Blues Saloon is moving a couple miles away to a location that has its own history of problems: the home of the former Club Cancun (1638 Rice St., St. Paul). Founder Ted Wilebski said he plans to open the new venue by next weekend. In the meantime, he is moving this weekend's pair of shows with California blueswoman Laurie Morvan to Valentino's, 200 Concord Exchange N., South St. Paul (9 p.m. Fri. and Sat., $10). He made the decision to move even before Wednesday's public hearing over the liquor license at the bar's Frogtown location, where it was a hot spot in the '80s and reopened this year. "There was just too much uncertainty there," he said. Wilebski said he is not worried about the problems that precede him, which included several violent incidents and reports of underage drinking when it operated as Club Cancun. "Those problems solely had to do with it being an 18-and-over hip-hop club," he said. "We're obviously a completely different thing, and I think we're a great fit in that location."

• Chris Riemenschneider

Hold Steady holds off

Probably through no fault of their own, members of the Hold Steady pulled a Prince on a half-full crowd at the Turf Club on Saturday night, making people wait around until 2 a.m. before it was finally all too obvious they were not going to take the stage. The band was back in town celebrating guitar tech Dusty Miller's marriage to Jessica Treft. Rumor had it (and a Turf Club ad promising "very special guests" certainly suggested) the post-wedding party would be a surprise HS gig. Instead, Craig Finn & Co. watched from the sidelines as Miller's own band, Voitek, and the Blind Shake played blissful sets, as did the Dynamiters, whose Dave Gardner performed the wedding ceremony that afternoon -- the only surprise, in the end.

• Chris Riemenschneider

Heidi's rises from the ashes ... at Lyn-Lake

Heidi's Minneapolis owners Stewart and Heidi Woodman, who lost their restaurant at W. 50th Street and Bryant Avenue S. in a devastating Feb. 18 fire, have finally landed a new location. It's the former Vera's Cafe (2903 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls.) in the busy Lyn-Lake neighborhood.

After scouting more sites than they could possibly count, the Woodmans have come full circle, returning to the Vera's site, one they originally fell in love with but ultimately wasn't available. By coincidence or fate, it's two blocks from the site of Five Restaurant & Street Lounge, their high-profile, short-lived venture that pre-dated Heidi's.

Although the former coffeehouse is roomier than it looks from the street, the new location will have the same scale -- about 55 seats -- as its predecessor, but with a few important additions: A small bar with a full liquor license (and a classic-cocktails emphasis), a 25- to 30-seat patio that's set under a canopy of mature shade trees, a chef's table, even a small parking lot. Unlike Heidi's 1.0, its replacement will also feature an open kitchen, with views from both the bar and the dining room. "It feels like we're taking the best aspects of Levain, Five and Heidi's, putting them in a pot and making this," said Stewart Woodman.

As for the menu, Stewart Woodman said that he's going to continue to cook what he calls "four-star food at two-star prices and, god willing, do it better," with appetizers under $10 and entrees under $20. "I've been doing a lot of fantasizing about what to do, menu-wise, but I think that it's important that we reopen as Heidi's," he said. "I think I have a better understanding of what I'm trying to express, and I felt like I was finally getting there. The week before the fire, we had a record week." One dish that will remain, happily: the Shefzilla, a surprise appetizer.

The Woodmans are hoping that the restaurant can be built in 60 to 90 days.

• Rick Nelson

Huge news for improv

The Twin Cities improv scene will get a shot in the arm this fall when Huge Improv Theater (www.hugetheater.com) opens. A group of improv artists have signed a lease at the former Lava Lounge clothing store (3037 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls.), hoping for a November opening. The Twin Cities is already home to a healthy community of improv artists at places such as Brave New Workshop, ComedySportz and Stevie Ray's. But Huge Theater will be the first space dedicated to long-form improvisation, said executive director Butch Roy. In long-form improv, actors take a mere suggestion and then improvise an entire theatrical experience. You can catch Huge's players at the weekly Improv-A-Go-Go shows (Sundays at Brave New Workshop) and the annual Twin Cities Improv Festival. Huge hopes to do two shows on Fridays and Saturdays, with seating in the intimate theater for about 100. They're also working on obtaining a beer and wine license. The theater should be another great addition to Lyn-Lake.

• Tom Horgen