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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!
November 17, 2006
There were a trajillion major events happening on the theatrical scene Monday, and I'm so happy to tell you that, from all reports, each was jammed! Jeff Daniels' Birdland show was stupendous, and the following Cast Party, hosted by the utterly brilliant Christine Pedi (left, in a photo by Mark Rupp) was a smash! She sings like a bird, and as an impersonator, has more celebs coming out of her than the parking lot at Spago. She tells me the evening held 'electronic thrills, musical massage and flatware stimulation.' This all sounds very fishy to me, but I do know that Janet Wright sang “All That Jazz” and played the spoons. (I bet the producers of the Chicago 10th Anniversary are quasi-suicidal that they didn't get her. But we did!)
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 Meanwhile...I was downtown, producing and hosting a terrific event called Broadway Hits A High Note: Theater Stars Go Classical. We almost called it Fancy Songs Jim Doesn't Understand, but that had no ring. Anyway, it was a sell-out benefit for the Greenwich House Music School. Look at the cast we assembled! (left, photo by Jack Miller) That's (back row) Ben Moore, Michael Schiralli (director), Cathy Venable (musical director), Ray McLeod, Susan Powell, Nancy Anderson, Jeff Blumenkrantz, Jennifer Hope Wills, Preston Smith, Christiane Noll, Michael Slattery, Peter Sachon, Brian Childers, Sarah Rice, Glenn Seven Allen, (kneeling) Michael Winther, Eddie Korbich, me and Max von Essen. Stephen Schwartz even introduced an aria from the opera he's writing. Spectactular performances were given by the nicest and most talented performers on the planet, and I thank them all profusely.
Click on our FLICKR site to see more fotos of fabulous faces!
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 It's always a bloomin' sellout when Jeff Blumenkrantz (left) books a show at Birdland. ALMOST every seat is sold for Monday's upcoming concert...so you better call the club now (212.581.3080) if you plan on joining us. Joining the Tony-nominated composer will be Broadway divas Victoria Clark (Tony winner/The Light In The Piazza), Liz Callaway (Tony nominee/Baby), Mary Testa (Tony nominee/42nd Street, On The Town), Alysha Umphress (XL Star) and the amazing Michael McElroy (Tony nominee/Big River). Mr. Blumenkrantz will host from the piano, with Peter Donovan on bass and Sean McDaniel on drums. Jeff began his career as an actor, performing in such Broadway shows as Into the Woods, Threepenny Opera, Damn Yankees, How to Succeed in Business..., and A Class Act. Although he joined the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop in 1987, it wasn't until 2000 when Audra McDonald recorded his song “I Won't Mind” (lyrics by Annie Kessler and Libby Saines) that his songwriting career was launched. Since then, Jeff received a Best Original Score Tony® nomination for his songs in Urban Cowboy, and he contributed the Rita Gardner song, “I Think,” to last year's Off-Broadway production, The Audience. His one-act pieces, Woman with Pocketbook and Precious Little Jewel, have been performed at several regional theatres, and he has been commissioned to write songs by Carnegie Hall and the Guggenheim's Works and Process program. Jeff is a recipient of the BMI Harrington Award and the Dramatists Guild Jonathan Larsen Memorial Musical Theatre Fellowship. He is a graduate of Northwestern University. The Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook is available for purchase at www.jeffblumenkrantz.com.
The following Monday, November 27, we're thrilled to have a triple-header in our Broadway At Birdland series! Jack Donahue at 7pm, and Euan Morton at 9 and 11pm!
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 PS CLASSICS, THE LABEL DEDICATED TO THE HERITAGE OF BROADWAY AND AMERICAN POPULAR SONG, has joined forces with prolific cabaret producer Jamie deRoy on a new CD celebrating songwriters from the worlds of Broadway, pop, country and cabaret. But this new album has a twist: the songwriters are also the performers. Entitled IF I SING, after the Maltby/Shire song from Closer Than Ever, the album features 16 songwriters taking on their own material, some of it familiar, some totally unknown, in new performances and new arrangements. The theatre composers include some of Broadway’s finest, including Stephen Schwartz, Maury Yeston, Richard Maltby & David Shire, Robert Lopez & Jeff Marx, Andrew Lippa, Lucy Simon, and Gretchen Cryer & Nancy Ford, while the pop songwriters include such luminaries as Grammy Award-winners Julie Gold and Larry Gatlin. The album, produced by Paul Rolnick, with artistic direction by Barry Kleinbort, is in stores, or on the web at psclassics.com, amazon.com, footlight.com, For more info, click: jamiederoy.com.
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 WHEN DONNA MCKECHNIE CALLED BILL WESTMORELAND to photograph her, he said "Cassie...come on down!"...Well, he didn't really say that but it makes for good copy! Bill did say, however, that photographing the legendary Tony Award winner from A Chorus Line was a breeze, literally. "Donna just kind of floated in and so gracefully positioned herself for each pose. It made my job so easy. She has such grace and poise that I thought I was watching a performance with each click of the camera!" You can see Bill"s author photo of Donna in her new book, TIME STEPS MY MUSICAL COMEDY LIFE from Simon & Schuster. You can reach Bill at bwphotography@aol.com.
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 CHARLIE
LAPSON'S SIGNATURE COLLECTION is the culmination of years of training, world travel, and professional
experience as one of Hollywood's top designers. His luxurious
handbags and men's wallets are produced by factories in Tuscany, Italy
made of fine Italian leather. Lapson's handbags and clutches have
been worn by the elite of Hollywood to numerous red carpet events
and on camera as well.
Celebrities such as Felicity Huffman, Eva
Longoria, and Debra Messing can be seen
at award shows adorned with Charlie
Lapson Jewelry. The collection is created by using the
most brilliant diamonds and precious gemstones mixed with 18 kt gold,
and molding them into works of art. Celebrities dazzle with glamorous
bold statement pieces. Look for large colored gemstones and mixes
of textures with unique shapes.
Style fit for a star!
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|  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 http://www.LizCaplan.com for more information, but tell Liz you heard about her at Cast Party!
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|  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 http://www.castpartynyc.com/Goods.htm. |
As always,
many thanks to our corporate and private sponsors:
Gianni Valente & Hilary Kole, Randy Swartz
& Stage Step, Jamie deRoy & friends, Michael Estwanik, Piper-Heidsieck
Champagne, Todd Forman, Steven Minichiello, Matthew Gilbert and Wild
Oats Productions, as well as our Birdland sound guru Sean Corcoran and
Brian Wilson at SoHa Media. We can't do it without you!
Click
here to advertise with us. It costs
less than the average banner ad, and you're guaranteed to be seen by
tons of fabulous people (look, you're reading this right now,
yes?).
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|  "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
9:30pm
!
Where:
BIRDLAND
315 West 44th
Street (between 8th & 9th), NYC
212.581.3080
Bookings for Jim Caruso's
Cast Party® for theaters, arts presenters,
corporations and private events:
Ligeti Artists LLC
Peter Ligeti
mrligeti@aol.com
212.396.1111
For online booking information, click: The
Show Store
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