Mr. Luke Duke himself, Tom Wopat, certainly filled Birdland with fans and a dazzling array of cast members from his former Broadway shows (42nd Street and Annie Get Your Gun), along with his upcoming Glengarry Glen Ross-mates. Tom’s set was a lesson in musical subtlety, with exquisite performances of standards, backed by some of the top players in town. We’re sure to have him back, so be watching! Many thanks to Tom for kicking off THE NEW SEASON with great style. The following Cast Party started off with a bang, as Monday Off harmonized their faces off! Folk-goddess Christine Lavin joined us, as did Seattle composer Andrew Ratshin, soul diva Jayne Trinette, Jazzy Jane Schecter, Linda Ciofalo, Bobby Syvarth, Roy Meriwether, and David Goldman. Avenue Q supah-stah John Tartaglia (above, in a photo by David Goldman) stopped in and sang a hilarious tune about...his second-cousin…written by Phoebe Kreutz and Gary Adler, who also performed. (Congrats to Mr. Adler, whose Altar Boyz is a bonafide hit!) We also saw Broadway boys Shonn Wiley, Steven Reed and ex-Hairspray "One Life To Live" goddess Kathy Brier lurking…we hope they sing a ditty or two soon! Even Scott & Barbara Siegel showed up after their wildly popular Broadway By The Year concert at Town Hall! Now that’s dedication. That’s Barbara, along with Julie Garnye, at the right in the picture below, wondering "Which Twin Has The Toni?" We were so happy to see Lawrence Zarian, AKA "The Fashion Guy," at Cast Party two weeks ago. He’s the guy who performs the hilarious ambush makeovers for "Live With Regis & Kelly," and discusses clothes and trends for E! and "EXTRA." He found our Cast Party T-shirts (100% Pre-Shrunk Cotton in Snowy White with a splash of Minnelli Red) très fetching, made a purchase, and wore it the next day on the WPIX Channel 11 Morning News! It’s the beginning of a fashion trend, if you ask me. You can get yours from Cast Party Merchandise or at Birdland any Monday night!

This Monday, our schedule will be a bit different, due to a 9pm concert given by the Magnificent Maureen McGovern. We’re thrilled that One Enchanted Evening will take place at Birdland, and will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Maureen, as you know, is currently starring in Little Women on Broadway, but is proudly singing on her night off to raise money for this extremely worthy cause. It’s almost sold out, but if you call BC/EFA now (212.840.0770), you can still reserve a seat for what will be a memorable night for all of us! Cast Party will follow (with Mark Berman and Steve Doyle on piano and bass), probably around 10:30. Come see the concert and stay all night!

Once again, this week's Cast Party Radio Show celebrates The New Season at Birdland, with songs from all of our upcoming guest performers. 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! In the words of Liza Minnelli, "Cast Party IS New York!"


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