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October 26, 2007
Jason Graae must be pooped. He stopped show at the Town Hall Stephen Schwartz-fest with an excruciatingly funny performance of “Popular” from Wicked. (Read about it HERE.) Then, he packed Birdland for two nights with “Graae's Anatomy,” filling the place with Broadway and cabaret superstars! Zippy folks like Karen Ziemba, Jen Cody, Carol Hall, Marni Nixon, Judy Blazer, Leo Ash Evans, Amanda Green & Jef Kaplan, Jessica Grove, Julie Wilson, Phillip Officer, Randy Rainbow, Perry Ojeda, Susan Lee, and Patrick Kerr watched Jason sing, swing, pontificate and play the oboe. Mr. Graae had some onstage help, of course. Musical director Alex Rybeck, along with Xanadu's Mary Testa, diva Julie Garnyé and some original Plaid-boys (David Engel and Michael Winther, left, rehearsing in the back alley), made the show an event of epic proportions. Oh yeah…Jason will be back! Check out all the pix on Flickr.
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Everyone stuck around for Cast Party, which is just the way we like it. The afore-mentioned ex-Plaids warbled an ode to Hilary Clinton, Amanda Green sang a new creation about being 'of a certain age,' some newcomers made their CP debut, and some beloved regulars showed their stuff. Then Larry Gatlin (left, thanks to Todd Forman) came through the door. He had just been honored at a Jamie deRoy-produced spectacle at The Friars Club, and thought Birdland would be the perfect place to wind down. He stormed the stage, and Cast Party will never be the same! His duet of the magical “I've Done Enough Dying Today,” with Grammy-winner Lari White has become the stuff of legend. The crowd stomped and cheered for more, so Larry launched into his trillion-selling “All the Gold in California” with Lari, her extremely musical mom and dad, Ms. deRoy, Tony DeSare on piano, and Steve Doyle on bass. TV demon decorator Douglas Wilson said it best when he said, “It was the kind of impromptu moment Cast Party was created for.” Totally unforgettable.
We hope you'll show up next Monday, when the Cast Party Symphony Orchestra will include Tedd Firth on piano and Steve Doyle on bass. I know I can't wait.
If you happen to be somewhere near Baltimore, Maryland (“…Stop boiling water…”) this Saturday night, try to snag a tickie to see the astonishing Liza Minnelli in concert with - um - me. We'll be singing and dancing ourselves into a tizzy at the Myerhoff Symphony Hall. |
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This coming Sunday night at 7pm, we're thrilled that Nancy Anderson will return to the Birdland stage with “ Ten Cents A Dance,” which features standards and lost treasures from the 1920's and 30's. Produced by Bill Daugherty with Ross Patterson and Danny Whitby as musical directors, the CD and show includes "The Trouble with Me is You," "My Romance," "But Not for Me," and the title track "Ten Cents a Dance." For the concert, Ms. Anderson will be joined by musical director Ross Patterson and his Little Big Band. Anderson is a two-time Drama Desk nominee for her work as the title character in the Off-Broadway production of Fanny Hill and as all of the women in Jolson & Co. In 2002, she was honored with an Olivier Award nomination and a Helen Hayes Award nomination for her work as Bianca/Lois in Kiss Me, Kate, seen on PBS and available on DVD. She has appeared on Broadway as Helen in Wonderful Town and Mona in A Class Act. Nancy's onstage guests will include Jeff Blumenkrantz, Joe and David Zellnik and Peter Luyrie. Call the club at 212.581.3080 for reservations, or click on www.BirdlandJazz.com.
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Then, on Monday night at 7pm, top Broadway talent comes together to celebrate and perform alongside composer Jeremy Schonfeld. Highlights of the evening will include songs from Schonfeld's previously released albums as well as brand new songs. Joining Schonfeld will be Tony--winner Jarrod Emick, six time MAC award winner Natalie Douglas, Dave Barrus, Jessica Bogart, Julie Danao-Salkin, Christian Campbell, Adam Jacobs, Karla Mosley, Paige Price, Joe Ricci, and Amy Spanger. Schonfeld's singular blend of tuneful pop, hard-edged rock, gospel, soul and blues has drawn him comparisons to Billy Joel, Jonathan Larson, and Marc Cohn, and has made him one of today's most sought after singer/songwriter talents and musical theater composers. Call Birdland for reservations at 212.581.3080 or click on www.BirdlandJazz.com. |
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GRETCHEN REINHAGEN RETURNS TO DON'T TELL MAMA WITH HER BRAND NEW SHOW, "Back to Basics". She is joined once again by Musical Director Steven
Silverstein at the piano. The show is a collection of some of the most
loved standards and a few not so standard gems thrown into the mix. In
this show, Reinhagen gets down to the basics of just singing good tunes.
Don’t miss an evening of songs you’ve always loved, and a singer you’re
going to love hearing them from. 10/10 @ 9:15pm; 10/15 @ 9pm; 10/21 @
8:15pm; 10/30 @ 7pm. $15 cover/2 drink minimum. Reservations: 212.757.0788 www.gretchenreinhagen.com
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SING LIKE YOU MEAN IT! So, you sing pretty- so what? If you don't know what you're singing about...no one cares. Be ready for your next audition -- come to my class. With the help of pianist and coach, Jamie Reed, we will make sure you are ready and relaxed enough to rock your auditions.
Mondays, 4pm to 7pm at Ripley Grier Studios;
4-week session =$240 (we’ll start as soon as we fill the class)
for more information, write me at singmeanit@aol.com
for more information about me- www.nancyanderson.name
for more information about Jamie- jamieRB326@aol.com
P.S. -- If you have scheduling conflicts, write and we can work it out!
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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! |
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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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MINNELLI & CARUSO: TOGETHER AGAIN... I'm beyond excited to tell you that I'll be performing on the road with myamazing 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, Brian Lane Green 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!
- 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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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, 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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