November 25, 2005
We had folks hanging
from the ceiling at Penny Fuller's historic concert
at Birdland Tuesday night! Everyone from Donna
Murphy (with Penny, right) to LeRoy Reams,
Max von Essen, Charles Busch, Tony
Roberts and William Finn were there to cheer
her cabaret debut! The show was a hit, and rest assured Ms. Fuller will
return to our stage soon! Many thanks to Manhattan Theatre Club's
Michael Bush and Alex Fraser for producing
such a successful evening!
Monday's Cast Party was really fun…like Oprah's
Favorite Things Show without all the freakish weeping. I loved
being able to give away Ken Bloom's gorgeous new coffee-table
book, “American
Songbook.” The great news is that every Monday until Christmas,
we're giving away signed copies! It's an awesome chronicle of 75 years
of American popular music, it's creators and interpreters, with hundreds
of photos you've never seen…and is the very first official Cast
Party Holiday Gift! Thanks to Ken and Dana
at Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
for helping make it such a fun night. Of course, the music was sublime,
with the many voices of my old pal Jimmy James, and
another fabulous performance by Christine Lavin. Billy
Stritch and Steve Doyle made up the Cast
Party Symphony Orchestra.
We're fairly proud to tell you that CastPartyNYC.com
is the 3,109,508th most popular wesbite on the Internet.
Thanks to Jim Jones for the research. We think. Check
out all the new photos our WebGoddess Kate Botello
has added to the site!
This coming Monday,
November 28, The
Winter Season continues as two of my favorite humans on
the planet will be storming the Birdland stage at 7pm. Julie
Halston and Charles Busch (right)
will perform songs, sketches and reminisce about their twenty-year friendship
and the creation of the long running cult play Vampire Lesbians
of Sodom. Charles, of course, is the Tony- nominated
author of The Tale of the Allergist's Wife
and the star of the film "Die Mommie Die.”
Julie Halston was in Gypsy,
Twentieth Century, Bitsy Von Muffling
on "Sex and the City" and is currently
in Hairspray. They starred together in the
original Off-Broadway productions of Busch's plays Vampire
Lesbians of Sodom, The Lady in Question,
Red Scare on Sunset and You Should
Be So Lucky. Last March this dynamic duo starred in a
sold-out benefit for the Actors Fund at the Music
Box Theatre called Charles Busch and Julie Halston
on Broadway. At Birdland, they'll be accompanied by some
guy named Billy Stritch, who we hear tell is real talented.
Needless to say, it's going to be a fabulous night. The show has been
sold out for three weeks, but if you're desperate to see it and don't
have reservations, I suggest you show up to see if there are any no-shows.
It happens, and you can't miss this one!
The next night, Tuesday, November 29, jazz, boogie,
stride, and blues stars Seeley and Baldori headline
at Birdland at 7pm. Both play a relentless keyboard in the truest sense
- with infectious rhythm and improvisation. Bob Seeley
spent his formative years playing with Meade Lux Lewis
and other jazz greats in the 1950s and early 60s. Over the years, he
became recognized as one of the best boogie-woogie and stride players
in the world. "Boogie" Bob Baldori has been playing
piano and harmonica with Chuck Berry since 1967. Call
the club at 212.581.3080 for reservations!
Cast Party has become
known for showcasing an awesome array of musical styles. Show tunes,
jazz, punk and country…this particular episode is extra schizophrenic…just
like it's host! We'll bring you a chat with the amazingly versatile
Kevin Cahoon, who is currently starring as The
Childcatcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,
is rehearsing for The Wedding Singer, and,
along with his band, Ghetto Cowboy, has just released
a new CD called “Doll.” You'll
get to hear a few cuts from that recording, as well as a handful of
live performances from the Birdland stage, including Ruth
Williamson, Erich Bergen, Aaron
Capps, Cole Burden & Brian Charles Rooney,
Hilary Scott, BJ Crosby, Anita
Plateris and Gary Burr!
Tune in every Tuesday and Friday night
at 8pm exclusively on BroadwayWorld.com!
We're a podcast,
now, too! Go to The Radio Show
for all the info!
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!
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