It’s always thrilling to meet a showbusiness legend. Cast Party is known for being the place for some pretty serious star-gazing, but this past Monday night was one for the books. One particular diva has been in semi-retirement for the past fifteen years, but since she’s ‘back on the boards,’ a Cast Party appearance was inevitable. Yes…MADAME (right) swooped into Birdland Monday night, with all the glitz and glamour one wooden gal could muster. She and her pal, Joe Kovacs, entertained us with some filthy, filthy stories and a ditty or two. We sure hope they’ll make Birdland their home away from home. I’m personally hoping for an on-stage duet by Madame and Rod from Avenue Q, but I’m funny that way. The night went on to include lots of amazing talent. We heard Naked Boys Singing (now at the 47th Street Theatre!), the legendary Christine Lavin, and Toxic Audio’s Rene Ruiz (check out their new CD!). Genius composer Andrew Lippa brought in his friend Shira Elias, and they both performed a song from his wildly brilliant Wild Party score. It was also our first Carpenters-Palooza, and the creamy, middle-of-the-road tunes were abundant. Stay tuned for our upcoming Elvis-Palooza. (I think anything ending with –Palooza sounds excellent.)

In the photo below, you'll see Amy Pietz (TV's "Caroline In The City," "Rodney"), Anthony Edwards (old friend and great singer from Dallas) and Jayson Raitt (big-time producer from LA) enjoying the schmooze-fest.

THE WINTER SEASON at Birdland was a complete success, with many thanks to TheaterMania, Christine Ebersole & Billy Stritch, Alice Ripley, Jeff Marx & Bobby Lopez, Karen Mason, Georgia Stitt, Amanda Green & Tom Kitt, Julia Murney, Stephanie J. Block, Peter Eldridge, Marcy & Zina, and Natalie Douglas.

I’m thrilled to open THE NEW SEASON at Birdland with Tom Wopat (below) at 7pm this coming Monday, April 4th. Perhaps best known as "Luke Duke" from his seven seasons on the TV show, "The Dukes of Hazard," Wopat is currently in the cast of the upcoming Broadway revival of Glengarry Glen Ross. He received a Tony nomination for his role as Frank Butler opposite Bernadette Peters in Annie Get Your Gun, portrayed Billy Flynn in the Broadway revival of Chicago, and starred as Julian Marsh in the 42nd Street revival. Wopat has also released several albums with CBS and Capitol Records. His new CD, "Dissertation on the State of Bliss," delivers jazzy interpretations of Harold Arlen songs including "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," "Come Rain Or Come Shine," and "Accentuate The Positive." Many of these, along with theater songs and other standards, will be included in the Birdland set. There is a $30 cover and $10 food/drink minimum. Call the club now (212.581.3080), before it’s sold out! Of course, stick around after Tom’s show…Cast Party will be celebrating his performance and the return of Monday Off, one of the jazziest vocal groups on the planet! The Cast Party Symphony Orchestra will include bass-guy Steve Doyle and piano-man Mark Berman. By the way, congratulations to Mark, who is currently working on the Hugh Jackman one-man-show, which will open the extraordinary Wynn Las Vegas Hotel and Casino! Maybe he’ll give us a sneak preview of the Hugh-Palooza!

This week's Cast Party Radio Show celebrates The New Season at Birdland, with songs from all of our upcoming guest performers. Tom Wopat, Maureen McGovern, Jeff Daniels, Larry O'Keefe, Victoria Shaw, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Toxic Audio, Christine Andreas, Malcolm Gets, Max von Essen and Christine Ebersole will all be representin' their Birdland concerts...so tune into BroadwayWorld.com radio on Tuesday and Friday nights at 8pm. Or, you can make life even easier by clicking on the site for an "on demand" experience you'll love!


Listen in on Tuesday and Friday night at 8pm only on www.BroadwayWorld.com.

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