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Leading Men 2 Benefit
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February 16 , 2007
Monday night felt like a house party all night. Kicking it off was Broadway's Donna Lynne Champlin in Finishing the Hat. The show, so improvisational and off-the-cuff, had the packed house roaring all night. And what a crowd! Some serious top-rung theater types were there, including former co-stars, like Mary Testa (First Lady Suites), Linda Lavin (Hollywood Arms) and producer/performer Jamie DeRoy (all seen at left with Donna, thanks to Mark Rupp). We look forward to having Donna and Andrew Gerle, her brilliant musical director, back on the Birdland stage soon!)
The following Cast Party was as packed as I've ever seen Birdland. Maybe the cold weather got the folks to thinking about needing some music, laughter, cocktails and some great Birdland grub! It was Billy Stritch's turn to celebrate a birthday, and there were balloons, cake, champagne and much merriment from his table! Tedd Firth and Steve Doyle were swinging their fingers off as Cast Party Symphony Orchestra, and they got to accompany some of the best singers anywhere, including a surprise performance of “The Boy From…” by Linda Lavin. She originally sang that song in a 1960's off-Broadway revue called The Mad Show, written by Steve Sondheim and Mary Rodgers. Amazingly, Mary's brilliantly talented son, Adam Guettel, who happened to win a Tony for composing The Light In The Piazza a few years ago, was in the crowd Monday night, which always makes us happy. Jeffry Denman gave us a taste of his upcoming Birdland concert, Rebecca Kilgore showed off her jazz chops with Eddie Ericson, and Clarke Thorell, Johnny Rodgers, Cortes Alexander and I (left) gave a preview of our upcoming performances in Liza Minnelli's tribute to the late, great Kay Thompson, with afore-mentioned Mr. Stritch assaying the role of Liza. Click on our Flickr! site to see lots of photos of the evening. The great thing is…if you missed all the fun on Monday, it'll be happening again this next week! Cast Party will be hosted by the absolutely amazing Christine Pedi, with Tedd Firth and Steve Doyle on piano and bass, respectively. I know it's going to be fabulous. Go see what all the fuss is about!
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 This coming Monday, February 12 at 7pm, Donna Lynne Champlin, who recently starred in the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd, as well as James Joyce's The Dead, By Jeeves and Hollywood Arms, is bringing her one-woman show "Finishing The Hat" to Birdland! It's an inspired pairing of stories and songs from Donna Lynne's professional and personal adventures (such as 'Stalking Brian D'Arcy James' and 'The Worst Audition Ever') that the audience picks randomly from a hat. David Hurst of Cabaret Scenes Magazine calls the evening 'hilarious, heartbreaking and brilliant,' and Peter Filichia of TheaterMania asks 'Why can't all cabarets be as wonderful as "Finishing The Hat" There will be a $30 cover and $10 food/drink minimum. Please call Birdland at 212-581-3080 or www.InstantSeats.com/Birdland.
The following week, Monday, February 19 at 7pm, we're thrilled to present Jeffry Denman in "Jazz Turns." This brilliant Broadway song-and-dance man will perform show tunes with a jazz twist, along with special guests Brian D'Arcy James, Nancy Anderson, Dennis Stowe and the Joshua Pearl Classic Jazz Trio. Call Birdland now for reservations!
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 PRESENTING VINCENT WOLFE: A CANADIAN CROONER IN NEW YORK CITY! His velvety vocals lie “somewhere between Chet Baker and Mel Tormé…” and according to the Detroit Metro Times, his tender and resolute voice uncannily captures the ebb and flow of the human heart. Find out for yourself why this Canadian crooner has been getting a lot of attention. Vincent Wolfe will take you on an eclectic musical journey: from well-known jazz standards to original compositions from his two critically acclaimed CDs. February 16th and 17th @ Helen’s (www.helensnyc.com) with the Alex Levin Trio. 9:30 p.m. Admission: $20. ($15 for Cabaret Hotline and MAC members). For more information visit www.vincentwolfe.com |
 JUST IN TIME FOR VALENTINE'S DAY, JENNA ESPOSITO WILL BE SINGING SOME FAVORITE TUNES ABOUT EVERYONE'S FAVORITE PASTIME…SMOOCHING! The show SMOOCH!, playing at The West Bank Cafe/Laurie Beechman Theatre (407 West 42nd Street, NYC - 212-695-6909) on Fridays, February 2nd and 9th at 9:00 pm will include songs from such varied composers as Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Bonnie Raitt, Rodgers and Hart, and more. Joining her on stage will be Fortune Esposito on guitar, Richard Schacher on piano, Saadi Zain on bass and Tom Venable on drums with Kelly Esposito-Broelmann and Sue Matsuki providing backup vocals. Fortune Esposito serves a musical director. Erv Raible directs. $16 cover + $15 food/drink minimum, but if you say you heard about it through Cast Party, cover is only $11!
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 MINNELLI & CARUSO: TOGETHER AGAIN... I'm beyond excited to tell you that I'll be performing on the road with my amazing friend Liza Minnelli quite a bit this next year! We're re-creating Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers' historic nightclub act that took the world by storm in the late 40's and early 50's. Cortes Alexander, Johnny Rodgers, Clarke Thorell and I are working hard to approximate the blend and unique sound that Bob, Dick, Don, and Andy Williams brought to Kay's ingenious vocal arrangements, with Billy Stritch will be at the piano. Watch this space for details...hopefully we'll be coming to a theater near you!
Dates:
- February 18 Sunrise, Florida Sinatra Theater
- February 22 Sarasota, Florida Van Wezel Theater
- February 23 Clearwater, Florida Ruth Eckerd Hall
- February 26 Naples, Florida Philharmonic Center
- March 29-31 Las Vegas, NV Luxor Hotel
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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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 ON THE CD, AT THE MOVIES , DAVE KOZ , A MULTI-GRAMMY NOMINATED SAX PLAYER with two gold albums and ten top 5 hits to his credit, takes center stage on eight instrumentals: "Over The Rainbow," "As Time Goes By," "The Pink Panther," "Summer of '42," "Cinema Paradiso," "Schindler's List," "It Might Be You" and "The Shadow of Your Smile." The 40-piece orchestra enlisted by Koz and producer Phil Ramone provides a majestic, sweeping soundscape for the saxophonist and his guest vocalists, including Vanessa Williams, who contributes an exquisite version of "The Way We Were," and Johnny Mathis, who perfectly captures the bittersweet quality of "The Shadow Of Your Smile," from The Sandpiper. Other highlights include Anita Baker's elegant rendering of "Somewhere," from West Side Story and Donna Summer's shimmering version of "A Whole New World," from Disney's Aladdin. Barry Manilow duets with Koz on a hip arrangement of Henry Mancini's "Moon River," and India.Aire delivers a deeply personal performance of "It Must Be You," from Tootsie. At The Movies is a must-have for music and film lovers everywhere. Disappear into another world and spend some time At The Movies.
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 SQUIGS DRAWS THE STARS. Justin 'Squigs' Robertson is well known in the
Los Angeles theatre community for capturing show biz folks in pen and
ink, and his acclaim is quickly spreading across the country. He loves
sushi. His favorite song is 'It's Only A Paper Moon'. And he
genuflects upon merely hearing the name of Al Hirschfeld. His
whimsical illustration and design is aided and abetted by his parallel
career as an actor and entertainer. You can visit www.squigsink.com
for a look at Squigs' take on such talented friends of Cast Party as
Jeff Blumenkrantz, Julia Murney, Christine Ebersole, Victoria Clark,
Kelli O'Hara, and Bob Martin.
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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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