BENSONHURST— All he wanted was to do the hustle at a Brooklyn club — but instead a party organizer claims he got hustled.
Italian-American talent scout Michael Albanese said his Studio 54-themed party at Club B66 on New Utrecht Avenue turned into a disco dud when the DJ played hip-hop, the bartenders watered down pricey drinks, and his pals were called mobsters.
Albanese claimed in a lawsuit that he squared away a deal with the club's owner, Eric Krasucki, to host a private throwdown on May 10 to celebrate the opening of his new agency, Natural Image Talent & Photography.
He's now suing Krasucki, accusing him of skimping on '70s and '80s music and unleashing anti-Italian slurs.
Under the alleged arrangement, Albanese collected a $10 commission for each of his invited guests, while the club agreed to spin music that once reverberated through Studio 54, the legendary glitter-happy Midtown nightclub that opened its doors in 1977. Club B66 also agreed to sell discounted booze, according to the lawsuit filed Nov. 29 in Brooklyn Supreme Court.
Albanese claims more than 200 guests showed up, including casting agents, models, actors and family. But the "Saturday Night Fever" quickly cooled.
"The disc Jockey was not playing music from the Studio 54 era, but playing hip-hop, techno and rap music," the lawsuit says.
Albanese asked the DJ to change his tunes, but the spinner said "he had to listen to what Eric told him to do," according to the lawsuit.
The guests also allegedly complained to Albanese that the bartender charged "exorbitant and outrageous amounts" for "terribly watered down" drinks.
Albanese also said Krasucki stiffed him on $230 in commissions.
The day after the party, Albanese returned to club to retrieve two pairs of expensive sunglasses. He ran into Krasucki, who called him a "gumba" [sic] and said he hung around with "Italian mob guy" friends, the lawsuit says.
Krasucki told DNAinfo.com New York that he lived up to his end of the bargain and that Albanese and his brother walked away with $2,000 from the event — even though most of the guests didn't come because of them.
"I got this business 16 years. I've seen a lot, but I've never seen a guy like this guy," Krasucki said. "I kept my word."
He also denied ever hurling ethnic slurs at Albanese.
"I didn't say anything like that. I don't think he's connected to the mob," Krasucki said. "I don't think the mob exists in general for that kind of local market."
Albanese and his lawyer did not respond requests for comment.
