I’m not sure what happened, but all of a sudden, the talent level at Cast Party has bumped up a notch during the past few weeks! It’s always been amazing…but now all I can say is ‘holy crap.’ This past week, to have Billy Stritch and Mark Berman at the piano, Steve Doyle on bass, Dave Koz (right with John Bucchino and me), on sax and David Goldman on guitar, was an embarassment of riches! Mr. Koz, also known as one of People Magazine’s Most Eligible Bachelors, is working on a movie music album, so hearing his version of "Smile" and singing "As Time Goes By" with him and Stritch was an absolute treat. Randi Driscoll and Noah Heldman mesmerized the crowd with an original tune…we love them! Bass dude Ritt Henn and the fabulous Karen Mack were hilarious together. (Could they be the neo-Donny & Marie? Just a thought.) Adam Fleming and Natalie Joy Johnson (see pix below), two ex-Bare castmembers, were unexpected visitors who will hopefully return soon! Kate Botello’s version of the Erykah Badu ditty, "Tyrone," was screamingly funny, with able backup from Brian Nash, Garth Kravitz and Julie Garnye. (I believe it was the first Badu material performed at Cast Party, but clearly not the last.) The music went on till the wee hours of the morning…and we couldn’t have been happier about it!

We can’t wait for the return of The Marcy & Zina Show this coming Monday, March 28 at 7pm! Their extravaganza a few weeks ago was SO sold out that we just had to get them back…and fast! If you don’t know these two brilliant, witty songwriters, call Birdland NOW to make a reservation. (212-581-3080) Joining the festivities and singing their songs will be Mary Faber, Jill Abramovitz and Avenue Q’s Jordan Gelber, along with a wonderful band. M&Z always have incredibly fun audiences filled with all kinds of Broadway and industry folks…we can only hope you’ll be one of them! Following that show will be…of course…Cast Party. Josh Zuckerman, a hot new singer/songwriter, will be joining us. I also know for a fact that a bunch of the Naked Boys Singing (now onstage at the 47th Street Theater!) will be singing their hearts out. Will they wear pants? Come and see! We’ve also told everyone to bring a Carpenters tune to sing. We love The Carpenters. You have to, too. Bring two in case someone else sings yours! There’s only so many ways to sing "Close To You."

I’m so excited about The New Season I’m presenting at Birdland, in association with TheaterMania.com. Catch this lineup: Tom Wopat (April 4), Maureen McGovern (April 11), Jeff Daniels (April 19), Larry O’Keefe (April 25), Victoria Shaw (May 16), Stephanie d’Abruzzo (May 23), Toxic Audio (May 30), Malcolm Gets (June 13), Max von Essen (June 18), and Christine Ebersole & Billy Stritch (July 25). Watch this space for details on each specific show!

The Liza Birthday All-Star Spectacular broke all records at BroadwayWorld.com Radio! There were over 15,000 hits that first day, which is three times what we usually get! Needless to say, we’re keeping it up for a while…so if you haven’t heard it, you still have every opportunity to enjoy the truly terrific fun! Just click to hear on demand!


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Click here for the Cast Party Radio Show on BroadwayWorld.com! Produced by Brian Wilson at SoHa Media.

Newsletter by Love Bomb Productions for Jim Caruso's Cast Party, All Rights Reserved 2005