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August 3 , 2007
You can't say we don't bring first-rate entertainment to the Broadway at Birdland series! Sunday night's concert, cleverly entitled " Billy Stritch & The Girls" was a huge, sold-out evening of swinging arrangements, dazzling vocals and fabulous friends. Our Stritchie was joined by some of his favorite singing bombshells, including ( left) Klea Blackhurst, Christine Ebersole, Stephanie J. Block and Sally Mayes. Ms. Ebersole went above and beyond the call of duty, and favored us with 3 songs after an 8-show week and the closing performance of Grey Gardens, for which she won the Tony for Best Actress. Now that's a pal! Each and every song in the show was a standout, and we can't wait to do it again...and soon!
On Monday night, we were thrilled to welcome Laura Bell Bundy ( left, in a photo by Mark Rupp) back to the stage. For the second week in a row, she slayed us with her country-girl charm, bubbly performance and down-home original tunes. There's no end to the talent the star of Broadway's Legally Blonde has, and we're so excited about her upcoming concert on August 20. There's been so much press on this show, that you'd better make a reservation now - or you'll miss all the fun. Call Birdland at 212.581.3080 or go to www.BirdlandJazz.com .
The following Cast Party was, once again, one for the history books. It boasted an eclectic bunch of performers, including the didgeridoo/trumpet of Mark Rapp (with spectacular guitar by Derreck Bronstein), some jazzy vocals by Isabella and Molly Mahoney, the return of fashionista Malan Breton, and the shockingly stage-savvy Ruby and Ava Locknar ( below left, photo by Mark Rupp), whose mother Victoria Shaw, happens to be a bajillion-selling country/pop songwriter. It's a talented family, y'all! Billy Stritch and Steve Doyle kept the music playing all night as only they can do...brilliantly! Check out Flickr! to see phabulous photos of all the phun. Next week, we'll have a very special treat. Scott and Barbara Siegel, who produce the Broadway By The Year concerts and Nightlife Awards at Town Hall, will be hosting Cast Party, along with David Budway at the keys. If I know the Siegels (and I do...), the place will be jammed with Broadway and cabaret superstars vying for some stage time! No one tells more interesting showbiz stories than Scott, and you know Barbara will be coaxing him on, being hostess-with-the-mostess, and glittering up the place. I can't believe I'm missing it...but I'll be on the European leg of the Liza tour, singing and gyrating my way into the hearts of folks in Marbella, Barcelona, Madrid, San Tander, Monte Carlo and Taormina! As Kay Thompson said, " Holla, holla! It's Jubilee Time!"
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| By popular demand, Natalie Douglas is bringing her show, " I Sing Because I'm Happy," back to Birdland (315 West 44 Street, NYC) on Sunday/Monday, August 5/6 at 7pm.
After a 3-and-a-half week run in the new musical, The People vs. Mona (complete with rave reviews), Natalie Douglas returns to Birdland for the sixth time with her special blend of gospel and cocktails (or spirituals and spirits) in "I Sing Because I'm Happy" aka "The Gospel Show." This time, she'll be supported by the largest Natalie D. Gospel Choir ever...a collection of concert and theatrical veterans with heavenly voices! Avenue Q's Mark Hartman has created his some of his most stunning arrangements of gospel and secular tunes, and Natalie's Broadway All-Star band remains one of the best in town! So don't miss this six-time MAC Award winner, Natalie Douglas, in a show that's sure to be out of this world! Call the Birdland box office at 212.581.3080 or visit www.BirdlandJazz.com. |
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 JAMIE DEROY & FRIENDS WILL PRESENT AN EVENING WITH "MODERN MAN" in celebration of their new CD " Assisted Living". Jamie deRoy will present a special evening featuring the award-winning trio Modern Man on Wednesday, August 15th (7:30PM) at The Metropolitan Room (34 West 22nd Street between 5th & 6th Avenues). The evening will also serve as a gala CD release launch for their new recording "Assisted Living." A cross between Crosby, Stills & Nash and the Marx Brothers, Modern Man---- David Buskin, Rob Carlson and George Wurzbach are three celebrated singers and songwriters who have come together to bring entertainment, laughter and delight to audiences. Modern Man's clever song parodies are a litany of lunacy, interweaving themes that range from God to Godzilla, manliness to cluelessness --- they have been characterized as "filling the void between The Three Tenors and The Three Stooges."
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 DONALD SMITH AND THE MABEL MERCER FOUNDATION WOULD LIKE YOU TO JOIN Marilyn Maye, Steve Ross, Billy Stritch, KT Sullivan and James Followell for the Fourth Cabaret Convention at Sea, April 30 - May 14, 2008! This cabaret crossing will take place on board the luxurious Regent Seven Seas Voyager, leaving from Ft. Lauderdale, and making stops in Bermuda, the Azores, Madeira, Valencia and Barcelona. This spectacular ship offers all-suite accomodations (with private verandahs), open dining, four spectacular restaurants, all wine, spirits and gratuities included! The event will be hosted by Arie Boris, Editor-in-Chief of CruiseGourmet.com Magazine. Fares for this special 14-night Cabaret Crossing start at $5,170 per person. As a special welcome to all our patrons, there will be a one-category upgrade for any reservation made before September 1, 2007. Please call Hartford Holidays Travel (800-828-4813) and mention Promotional Code JIMC. A portion of each fare will be donated to the Mabel Mercer Foundation. Check out CruiseGourmet Magazine!
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 KEN KLEIBER'S OFFERING VIDEOGRAPHY SERVICES. You have the talent, you booked the room and the crowds came. But what about that sought-after agent who was escorting his star client to a premiere? Or that family member who got stuck out-of-town due to inclement weather? Or that best friend who got the 24-hour flu? They can all re-live your shining performance through the magic of digital video. Videographer Ken Kleiber (host of TV, internet & radio’s "That’s Kentertainment!") not only interviews the stars, he films them too. With over 6 years of videotaping experience, Ken has filmed hundreds of hours of cabarets, concerts, live theatre, dance recitals, comedy sets, interviews, on-tape auditions, parties and more. For more information on Ken’s videotaping, copying and transferring services, please contact Ken at kentertain@yahoo.com. Don’t let that once-in-a-lifetime moment be...just once! |
 "here! on broadway," A PODCAST HOSTED BY JIM CARUSO, is a joyous celebration of the showbiz scene featuring music and conversation with Broadway's most dazzling personalities. Click on www.myspace.com/hereonbroadway to subscribe. Jim finally got Linda Lavin, one of his favorite humans of all-time, into the here! studios! Between touring her one-woman show, Songs and Confessions of a One-Time Waitress, building, producing, directing and acting in her own North Carolina theater, and her obsession with "CSI," she's a busy gal - but she was kind enough to spend an hour reminiscing about her dazzling Broadway and TV career. You'll also be privy to some never-heard recordings of Linda Live! It's "Alice," unplugged, unscripted and unassuming...just the way we love her! |
 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!
- 08/08/2007 08:00 PM - Marbella Tennis Club, Marbella, Spain
- 08/10/2007 08:00 PM - Festival Jardins de Cap Roig, Barcelona
- 08/12/2007 08:00 PM - Cuartel del Conde Duque, Madrid
- 08/15/2007 08:00 PM - Festival Internacional de San Tander, Spain
- 08/17/2007 08:00 PM - Sporting Club, Monte Carlo
- 08/18/2007 08:00 PM - Sporting Club, Monte Carl
- 08/20/2007 08:00 PM - Taormina Amphitheatre, Taormina, Italy
- 09/16/2007 08:00 PM - Grand Casino, Hinkley, Minnesota
- 09/22/2007 08:00 PM - Pfeiffer Hall, Naperville, Illinois-
- 09/28/2007 08:00 PM - Morristown Community Theatre, Morristown, New Jersey-
- 10/05/2007 08:00 PM - Hard Rock Hotel, Orlando, Florida
- 10/06/2007 08:00 PM - Tampa Performing Arts Center, Tampa, Florida
- 10/13/2007 08:00 PM - C.W. Post College, Long Island, New York
- 10/27/2007 08:00 PM - Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Baltimore, Maryland
- 11/29/2007 08:00 PM - McCallum Theatre, Palm Desert, California
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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 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, Bob Martin and Liza Minnelli. www.squigsink.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
( 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.
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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
This newsletter brought to you each week by Jim Caruso and Traverse City Web Design.
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