We're so happy to tell you that Linda Lavin (left, in a photo by Bill Westmoreland) will be back at Broadway at Birdland this coming Monday and Tuesday, September 3 and 4, at 7pm! She's bringing an updated version of her show that's been touring the country, called "Songs and Confessions of a Former Waitress," with Billy Stritch on piano, John Brown on bass and Steve Bakunas on drums. This show is LL up-close and personal as she recalls her roots in the theater (originating Sondheim's "The Boy From..." in The Mad Show) and her early cabaret trials and tribulations in some less-than-glamorous boites. You'll also hear some Gypsy and that "Alice" theme! Her varied musical choices range from Gershwin to Maltby & Shire; Dave Frishberg to Trisha Yearwood, and the musical relationship with pal Billy Stritch only adds to the party atmosphere this hostess-with-the-mostess exudes! Call Birdland now for reservations - 212.581.3080 or www.BirdlandJazz.com.
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August 31 , 2007 There was a whole lot of showbusiness going on this past week at Birdland! Sunday night's Guytunes concert was one of the more exciting debuts we've seen in a long time! Nick Blaemire, Justin Keyes and Jason Michael Snow (seen left, gussying up before the show) had a packed room of screaming fans absolutely loving the Guys' "Singing Shakespeare” extravaganza. These boys will be Birdland regulars, you can bet on it, and you'll want to catch their next show!Speaking of packed houses, Stephanie J. Block, known for selling-out the room months ahead of time, did just that, and more! The pre-show auction was a smashing success. Stephanie's fans, those crazy Blockheads, were thrilled to bid on memorabilia from Wicked, Boy From Oz and Pirate Queen, and the final tally came to over $3200, which SJB split between Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Then there was the little matter of the show itself. Stephanie, along with musical director Billy Stritch, Steve Doyle on bass, and Tony Tedesco on drums, has never sounded better, been funnier, and/or looked happier. She and her intended, Sebastian Arcelus (left thanks to Mark Rupp), thrilled the crowd with the big duet from Wicked, which they'll be performing 8 times a week on Broadway very soon! Rumour has it that Birdland offered her a full week's worth of shows in 2008. Stay tuned for those details, kids! The following Cast Party was totally fun and packed, as always. The thrill of the night came when the utterly divine, bejeweled Julie Wilson - the Queen of Cabaret - favored us with a song. It was one of those precious moments when everyone in the room knew they were in the right place at the right time. Of course, Cast Party is always the right place to be on Monday nights, and we hope you join us this coming Monday when Tedd Firth and Steve Doyle will be holding court as the Symphony Orchestra, and I, your very own Jim Caruso, will be hosting. (Check out our Flickr! site to see photos of all the phun!) By the way, in case you're not doing anything this Saturday night, I'll be with Liza in Atlantic City at the Trump Taj Mahal. You should come. It'll be fun!  |
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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!
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!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 Ro
dgers, 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!
dgers, 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!- 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
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.
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
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!
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!
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?).
"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:
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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