December 2, 2005
Happily, it looks like
I have to come up with new ways to say 'sold out.' I've
used 'packed to the gills,' 'sold to the walls,' 'jammed to the max,'
and 'slave to the rhythm.' However you want to put it, Monday night's
Charles Busch/Julie Halston festival
of mirth was wall-to-wall humanity at Birdland, with every possible chair
filled with laughing audience tuchas. The final sketch with the esteemed
Marion Seldes appearing as moderator for cabaret mavens
running for President of Manhattan Independent Cabarets, Restaurants
And Clubs (MI-CRAC), was memorable, if only
for the line, “I want to feel the winds of change blowing through
MI-CRAC.” If you glance above, you'll see the brilliant
Halston, Seldes and Busch with their musical director for the evening,
Billy Stritch. The following Cast Party was equally wonderful,
with beloved regulars like Natalie Douglas, Julie
Garnye, Kevin Ray, Christine Lavin,
David Ippolito, David Goldman, and a
few amazing newcomers like Kim Kassira, Keala,
Tina Walsh, Chelsea Krombach and Andrew
Conaghan. Cast Party only gets better.
The amazing and adorable
Susan Egan (right, in a photo by Robert
Milazzo) will be in concert this coming Monday, December
5 at 7pm! As you no doubt know, she was most recently starred
on Broadway in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and
received Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations
for her portrayal of Belle in Beauty and
the Beast. In her premiere Birdland outing, Susan will be
joined by musical director Christopher McGovern, and
will sing songs from past shows, tunes from her latest CD, “Coffee
House,” and showcase material by New York's hippest young
writers. Two weeks ago, we played Carnegie Hall together,
and I was absolutely blown away by her voice, her presence and personality!
I know you'll love her, so call the club at 212.581.3080
now…it's gonna be another dazzling evening! Of course, you can stick
around after the show for Cast Party, with Tedd Firth
at the eighty-eights! You never know WHO will show up!
The following Monday, December 12 will mark the return
of our fave diva, Natalie Douglas! Her new show, Black,
White and Blues, is sure to sell-out, so make a reservation
NOW!
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.
Boy,
have we had fun with Ken Bloom's gorgeous new coffee-table
tome, “American Songbook: The Singers, The Songwriters and
The Songs.” It's packed with amazing photos and facts about
American popular music and is our official 2005 Cast Party Holiday
Gift. Every week, we're doing a giveaway, but if you're not a
lucky winner, you can click on Amazon.com:
The American Songbook and order one of your very own!
"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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