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 Psst - after you've read all of the Cast Party scoop, be sure to spend a moment with our fabulous sponsors! June 23, 2006 A
few folks called it the 'Best Cast Party Ever,' but
how would you start to compare? My return to the Big (baked) Apple turned
into quite a celebration on Monday night, what with a beautiful early
show by David Burnham
(with extremely special guest Stephanie J. Block),
followed by a majorly kickass Cast Party. It all started when Liza
Minnelli sauntered onto the stage, ready to take no prisoners!
After she modeled some Greek headwear I brought back from my Mediterranean
expedition, she asked Maestro Billy Stritch and I to
join her on a rousing performance of Kay
Thompson's "I Love A Violin," (left,
thanks to Mark Rupp). You don't hear or see that everyday,
folks, and the crowd went ballistic. That gal knows how to
perform. She should do well in the business. Liza wasn't the only one
making the scene that night, of course. We were also thrilled by performances
from Natalie Douglas,
Brian DeLorenzo,
Colleen McHugh,
Tony DeSare,
Hilary Kole,
Trevor Exter,
Bob Dolphin, Lodi Carr, and an amazing
duet by Lari
White and Steve
Doyle! We also got a surprise visit from Jimmy
Norman, who was lead singer of The Coasters.
He also wrote the R&B classic "Time Is On My Side"
for Irma Thomas, which was later made into a gigantic
hit by the Rolling Stones. Thanks to guitar virtuoso
Sean Harkness
for bringing Jimmy to the party! Tipping The Velvet,
an awesome female vocal trio, gave us a preview of what they'll be doing
on the upcoming Rosie cruise, and Miss
Julie Garnyé came by after her show-stopping performance
in Broadway By The Year at Town Hall.
Julie is off to Australia for a while, and OY will we miss her. Cast
Party just won't be the same without JG Defying Gravity. She's a New
York kinda gal, though, so we expect to see her back soon! Next week's
Cast Party should be fabulous, with David Budway and
Steve Doyle on piano and bass! Come see what all the
fuss is about! |
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| THE JUNE ISSUE of Cabaret Scenes Magazine contains a fantastic feature on the history of Cast Party, and you've gotta check it out! Many, many thanks to Peter Leavy for the wonderful words, and to Keith Meritz and Frank Dain for making it all happen! |
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-THEATERMANIA When: BIRDLAND
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Copyright Jim Caruso's Cast Party®, All Rights Reserved, 2006. Newsletter by: Traverse City Web Design
That
purdy girl to the left (in a photo by Bill Westmoreland)
is 
JENNA
ESPOSITO, a Cast Party regular for over a year,
romps through the ups and downs of her relationships with the other
half in her new show I Hate Men: Songs for the Scorned.
It runs Tuesdays in June (6/6, 6/13, 6/20, 6/27) at the Duplex (61 Christopher
St.). All shows at 7 p.m. $15 cover charge + 2 drink minimum, but wait
– there’s a Cast Party discount - $10 cover for Cast Partyers!
Music Director is Fortune Esposito, Director is Erv
Raible. With Fortune Esposito, guitar; David Crone
(6/7 & 6/20) and Richard Schacher (6/14 & 6/27),
piano, Steve Doyle, bass, and guest singer Kelly
Esposito-Broelmann. Reservations: 212-255-5438. Click: 
MARK
ALAN JONES IN, "WRITTEN IN THE STARS". The Zodiac and the stars will determine which songs will
be sung at this astrological cabaret. Previously, "You
Drink, I Sing" was listed as a critic's pick in Time Out New York.
"Minnie Pearl Does Broadway" was sold out. "59 Minutes
No More, No Less" was a race to the finish. Now, come see what
song has been chosen for your sign! Musical Direction by David A. Shenton/Directed
by Darron Cardosa. Saturday June 24 6:00 PM, Sunday June 25 7:00 PM,
Don't Tell Mama, 343 W. 46th St. 212.757.0788 after 4:00 PM, $12 cover/two
drink minimum.
BILL
WESTMORELAND HAS BEEN PHOTOGRAPHING JIM CARUSO FOR OVER 10 YEARS,
and thanks to Jim, Bill has been introduced
to, and photographed, Stephanie Block, Charles Busch, Ann Hampton Callaway,
Amanda Green, Julie Halston, Hilary Kole, Linda Lavin, Billy Stritch,
among many other show-biz successes. One of Bill’s favorite
shoots with Jim was his collaboration with Billy Stritch on Jim’s
CD, “Jim Caruso: Live and In Person”,
both pictured at right. “I thought I was photographing Jerry Lewis
and Dean Martin in the 50’s. They worked so well together. The
shoot was so much fun and it was hilarious to watch the two of them
jumping around the set.” So this is my tribute to Jim Caruso…You
can reach Bill at 
WHAT
DO MICHAEL C. HALL,
KERRY BUTLER, CHEYENNE JACKSON, ESTELLE PARSONS, JULIA MURNEY, DEVEN
MAY, HUNTER FOSTER, MICHAEL ARDEN, JAMES BLUNT and the GOO GOO DOLLS
all have in common? Their
secret weapon -- voice teacher Liz Caplan! Her student ANA GASTEYER
(upcoming Threepenny Opera) says, “Studying with Liz has changed my
approach to singing on every level. In the two years we have worked
together, she has combined phenomenal technique with tailor-made specifications
to meet a huge variety of professional demands. Her tireless enthusiasm
and expertise have empowered me physiologically and emotionally to become
a better singer than I had ever imagined. It's like physical therapy
and good, old-fashioned psycho-therapy for your vocal chords!” Visit
OUR
UPDATED T-SHIRT is now available in Tootsie-Roll brown
with safety-cone orange trim, as seen at left, where Jim reveals his
secret identity as -- Superhost! Show
your love for a certain Monday night Open Mic extravaganza by wearing
this 100% cotton, Peruvian-made, American-printed piece of art! The
wry "Got Mic?" logo is on the front, and our logo is on the
back. They're only $20 and available if you click 
"The
Party simply glows with New York nightlife ambiance. It feels like a
throwback to another era but it has this era's top-notch entertainers
dropping in to schmooze, sing, eat, and drink. Caruso
consistently provides a flow of exciting singers, and he's definitely
hip, cool and classy all by himself."