October 7, 2005
Christine
Lavin
twirled light-up batons in the dark. I think that pretty much sums up
Monday's extremely Extreme Cast Party. “Trading
Spaces” Decorating Demon Douglas
Wilson sang the perennial favorite, “My Way.”
The Guitar Guy From Central Park, David
Ippolito, made us all scream with “Jesus Land.”
When Michael Feinstein's dad Ed crooned
a standard, we all saw that talented apples don't fall far from the talented
trees. The Jo West Birthday Contingency brought us major
talents like William Blake, Bernie Siben,
Vince Martinez, and the Loftus Brothers!
The always-amazing Bob Stillman
killed, Randi Driscoll and Noah Heldman
made us all swoon, and Christine Pedi Liza'd up the place.
My pal Colleen McHugh
met one of the Tony-winning composers of Avenue Q,
Bobby Lopez, and talked him into playing his exquisite
“Fine, Fine Line” for her, with brilliant
results! Bobby was there with his musical partner, Jeff Marx,
celebrating the early show, Avenue Q Swings,
which was SRO! What a cast, too! Arranger/bass player Mary Ann
McSweeney produced such a superb show starring (above,
with thanks to Aubrey Reuben) Christian Anderson,
McSweeney, Laura Marie Duncan, Christine
Pedi, Barrett Foa, Giselle Jackson,
Ann Harada and Stephanie D'Abruzzo.
Of
course, Cast Party is in full autumnal gear now, so you
might want to call Birdland - 212.581.3080 -
for reservations. You don't have to, but you can. This week,
Billy Stritch and Steve Doyle make up
the mighty Symphony Orchestra, and we couldn't be happier!
The 7pm concert this Monday is a very special one. We're
proud to bring you A Night of Music Celebrating The Matthew Shepard
Foundation. Musicians from all over the country will remember
Matthew Shepard, a young college student who lost his
life in a vicious anti-gay hate crime in October of 1998. Members of the
Matthew Shepard Foundation, along with Matthew's mother,
Judy Shepard, will be on hand to honor his memory and
celebrate his life with music. The show will feature performances by singer/songwriter
Randi Driscoll
(above) with Noah Heldman, Dave Eggar,
and David Gurland. Also performing are pop duo Jason
& DeMarco, and Broadway Boy Wonders Max
von Essen and Christopher Sieber! Tickets are $25, $50, and
$100, and the $100 VIP seats include amazing gift bags. A full dinner
menu will be available, and proceeds benefit the Matthew Shepard
Foundation. Tickets are available online at www.birdlandjazz.com.
If you're a subscriber to the Cast
Party podcast, you'll be getting an Encore Presentation
of the Amanda Green episode, to celebrate her upcoming
concert at Birdland. Yes…Mandy and her brilliant
writing composer Tom Kitt (right, photo by
Craig Brockman) will be back in concert on Monday,
October 13. Make reservations now. You know how they sell out…
Or, you can tune into BroadwayWorld.com
radio on Tuesday and Friday nights
at 8pm. 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!"
Cast Party Radio Show is produced by Brian
Wilson at SoHa
Media.
"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."
-THEATERMANIA
When:
Every
Monday at
BIRDLAND
315 West
44th Street (between 8th & 9th)
212.581.3080
corporations and private events:
Ligeti Artists LLC
Peter Ligeti
mrligeti@aol.com
212.396.1111
Woo hoo!
-
The official Cast Party website
-
Jim Caruso's website
-
Send Jim Caruso an e-mail
-
Subscribe to the Cast Party Newsletter
-
Unsubscribe from the Cast Party Newsletter
- Contact
the Administrator
