If you were lucky enough to catch Lucie Arnaz's sold out show of nonstop, kick-ass entertainment last year, you'll want to call Birdland now, 'cause she's comin' back for two nights only, Sunday and Monday, November 18th and 19th at 7pm. As always, Lucie will be supported by some of the finest musicians in the country. Ron Abel, Lucie's longtime musical director and arranger, who just hosted his own sold out, two night run at Birdland, will be at the piano. Lucie's musical savvy will spin her through standards, country, jazz, a beautiful new ballad or two, self-penned tunes of romance and revenge, and some music celebrating her Latin heritage. This time, she'll be performing onstage with her son and daughter, Joe and Katherine Luckinbill, so the show is perfectly titled, “This Time It's Personal!” The Sunday night show is already sold out and the Monday show is getting close, so call the club (212.581.3080) and get a table, a barstool, or standing room NOW! Click: www.birdlandjazz.com.
Coming up in the Broadway at Birdland series: Nancy Anderson (November 25) and Peter Eldridge (November 26)!
last
week...  |
November 8, 2007 Apparently audiences agree with us. We really do get the best talent in town for the Birdland stage! Our Sunday and Monday night shows were packed with fans cheering (1) The Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook and (2) Lauren Kennedy's CD celebration. Jeff consistently brings us brilliant singers to show off his colorful Songbook, and Sunday's show was no exception, with a cast that included Adinah Alexander, Donna Lynne Champlin, Laura Patinkin, David Perlman and Alysha Umphress. On Monday, Lauren Kennedy showed off her perfect voice with some perfect songs and arrangements from her perfectly wonderful new CD, “Here and Now.” There were some Broadway dazzlers in the crowd, including leading men Robert Cucchioli (left, by Mark Rupp), Jarrod Emick and Lauren's hubby Alan Campbell, leading gal Dee Hoty, composers Blumenkrantz, Andrew Lippa, Marcy Heisler and Dan Lipton, and the cast of Lone Star Love. (If you'd like to see proof, check out our Flickr photo site!) |
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Believe it or not, this past Monday's Cast Party was our 239th. If you've been there for all of them (and some of you have!), you'll know that it was one of our all-time best. Kicking the evening off was an extraordinary Benetton-ad of an accapella sextet from Las Vegas called Mosaic. That's Josh (left, thanks to Mark Rupp), but you really have to see him with his cohorts John, Corwyn, Sean, Troy and Heath to get the full picture. You can't believe their sound, their blend, their material and their charm onstage. Something tells me they might have found a New York home at Birdland, so stay tuned for more. Another gal who seemed perfectly at home was Marilyn Maye, who was in town for the Mabel Mercer Cabaret Convention. She's a Master Class in performance, folks, and we're always over-the-moon when she stops in to chat and sing with Billy Stritch. Our Dallas pal William Blake sang, and has never been so brilliant. Bravo and rock on! The swinging Angela Bingham paid us a visit, too, and thrilled everyone as always. We love huh. Monday was also bass-dude Steve Doyle's birthday, and he was honored with a visit from Marilyn Monroe herself. She looked pretty great, considering what she's been through the past 45 years. This coming Monday, Cast Party will be hosted by the sprightly, hilarious, wide-eyed-yet-all-knowing Christine Lavin. She'll be joined by Tedd Firth at the piano and the older Mr. Doyle on bass. You'll have to gussy up and go see what Christine has planned. I wish I could be there to witness the fun, but I'll be performing with Miss Liza Minnelli at the Richmond Casino in Vancouver, which I hear is one of the most beautiful cities on earth!  |
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Francesca Amari makes her NYC Cabaret Debut!
Popular West Michigan vocalist Francesca Amari makes her solo cabaret debut in the capable hands of Director Barry Kleinbort and Music Director Christopher Denny. Her new show promises to delight and tickle our memories!!
SECRETLY SQUARE! Includes guilty pleasure songs from such icons as Neil Sedaka, Johnny Mathis, The Carpenters, The Captain & Tennille
& more! At THE METROPOLITAN ROOM, on Wednesday, November 14th at 10 p.m. and Saturday, November 24th at 5:00 p.m.
$20 / $15 MAC & CabaretHotline. Reservations at 212.206.0440. Christine Lavin once said of this perky, petite singer, "You are a spark plug! You hit that song out of the park!!!" Francesca will also appear later this year in the Lyrics and Lyricists Program at the 92nd Street Y with legendary cabaret performer, Andrea Marcovicci.
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!
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!
- 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!
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, 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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