A Copacabana Comeback

New York Post: Nightclubs come and nightclubs go. It’s the nature of the biz. But rarely does a hot spot come back in such grand fashion as the legendary Copacabana, which moves into its new $4 million four-story, digs tonight at 268 W. 47th St. “We’re looking to turn back the clock,” says owner John Juliano, of the club’s modern-retro style. He insists men in suits will go straight to the front of the line. “It’s a return to elegance.”

In its heyday, the Copa, as it was known to patrons such as Frank Sinatra and Jackie Gleason, wasn’t just any nightclub. The 900-person-capacity venue was a launch pad to stardom for performers including Sid Caesar, Danny Thomas, Harry Belafonte, Dean Martin — and salsa great Willie Colon, who will be performing this evening at an opening bash.

Juliano is hoping to draw a new generation to the club, now in its fourth incarnation.

The main floor of the new club is outfitted in art deco style with a cozy lounge area that leads to a 110-person restaurant adorned by the same 70-year-old, artificial white palm trees that bedecked the original Copacabana when it opened in 1941. That’s where the eight-piece Copacabana All-Stars will play jazz and samba. Up another flight of stairs is a massive dance floor, where partygoers who pay a $20 cover charge can sway to the 15-piece Copacabana Orchestra.

The dinner menu includes $12 mojitos and entrees like the $28 moqueca — a traditional Brazilian plate of black cod and jumbo shrimp.

Author Kristin Baggelaar, who literally wrote the book on the Copa with her 2006 illustrated novel “Copacabana,” says that while the club can never be what it once was culturally, she is curious to see the new space. “A lot of these stars that had their careers launched at the Copa got their own television programs,” says Baggelaar, citing the beginning of television as the end of the Copa as America knew it.