JIM CARUSO IS PROUD TO PRESENT television and Broadway star NICOLE PARKER in Suitcase Full of Lies, a musicale about a fictional television icon-of-sorts, Jillane Jenkins, on Monday, May 24 at 7pm. This event is part of the long-running Broadway at Birdland concert series, which highlights performers and composers from the Great White Way at the historic music room.

Jillane Jenkins (played by Nicole Parker) won your heart as the irrepressible Callie Carter in the 1970's sitcom classic, "She's Got a Job!". Now, with her one-woman show, Suitcase Full of Lies, she will win your pity...and she will do it through song and dance! Called a "tour de force!" by her fourth husband, and "...(so) really ...show...(!)", by USA Today, Suitcase takes us on the journey of Jillane's career - from the height of her celebrity, to the dark secret of her father's painful struggle with eczema. If you see only one show this year about a semi-famous celebrity discussing her problems in front of an audience, make sure it's Suitcase Full of Lies!

Nicole Parker returns to New York after last year's run as Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway. She is currently appearing as Rosemary opposite Ed Asner in the Reprise Theatre Company’s LA production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse, directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge. She also appeared on Broadway in Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me. Currently, she is preparing to appear as Rosemary in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at Reprise in Los Angeles. Other theater credits include Juliet in The Second City's Romeo and Juliet Musical at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and Pamina in The Magic Flute at the Falcon Theater in Los Angeles. For six seasons, Nicole was an actress and contributing writer on Fox TV's "MadTV." She recently appeared in Judd Apatow's third film, "Funny People." This summer, she won a Best Actress award for her work in the short film, "Weathered," at the Damah Film Festival in Washington. Nicole is a proud cast member of Funny or Die's "Prop 8 Musical," written by Marc Shaiman, which received a GLAAD Media Award last year. Before joining "MadTV," she spent two years in Amsterdam as a writer and performer at Boom Chicago, an American-based sketch and improv theater. While there, she created two new revues, both of which were performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Her other European performances with Boom included Frankfurt, Cannes, London, and Zurich. She is a founding member of the Waterwell Theater, a non-profit company in New York City. With Waterwell, she performed as Laurencia in their adaptation of Fuenteovejuna, and directed an original piece, Stuck.

NICOLE PARKER: A Suitcase Full of Lies

WHEN: Monday, May 24 at 7pm
WHERE: Birdland, 315 West 44 Street, NYC
TICKETS: $25 or $35 cover plus $10 food/drink minimum
RESERVATIONS: 212.581.3080 or BirdlandJazz.com

THEN...

Jim Caruso is proud to announce the return of TOM WOPAT to the Birdland stage on Monday, May 31 at 7pm. This concert is part of the Broadway at Birdland series, which highlights performers and composers from the Great White Way.

The concert will be a celebration of Wopat’s newest recording, called “Consider It Swung.” Included on the CD and in the concert will be mini big band performances of “That’s Life,” “But Not For Me,” “42nd Street” and “Fifty Checks,” from the new Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman musical Catch Me If You Can. The musical director is Tedd Firth, with arrangements by David Finck.

Best known for his starring role as Luke Duke in the long-running popular TV Series “Dukes of Hazzard,” Tony-nominated singer and actor Tom Wopat has maintained a thriving career in show biz ever since, appearing everywhere from Broadway and Cabaret Stages, to the screen, to his own swinging albums. Wopat celebrated the 100th birthday of composer Harold Arlen with the February 2005 release of “Dissertation on the State of Bliss,” a collection of Arlen favorites and rarities, followed by the release of a collection of music entitled “Consider it Swung,” which features such great songs as "But Not For Me," "Deacon Blues,""That's Life," "2 Grey Rooms," and many others. Meanwhile, Wopat appeared as the lead in /Chicago/, and returned to Broadway in March for his first dramatic role, starring alongside Alan Alda, Jeffrey Tambor and Liev Schreiber in David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross. Wopat has received Tony nominations for several of his stage roles, including Frank Butler opposite Bernadette Peters in Annie Get Your Gun. Tom brings his cabaret act back to the Birdland stage for the first time in five years! In a New York Times review of his act, Stephen Holden said,"...he applies his virile baritone to popular standards with a quiet, open-hearted deliberation. On the cabaret stage, Mr. Wopat conveys the same laid-back, utterly unaffected naturalness that makes his album so appealing... [Wopat] clearly knows whereof he sings."

TOM WOPAT

WHEN: Monday, May 31 at 7pm
WHERE: Birdland, 315 West 44 Street, NYC
TICKETS: $25 or $35 cover plus $10 food/drink minimum
RESERVATIONS: 212.581.3080 or BirdlandJazz.com

PROMISES, PROMISES on Broadway! It's Manhattan. It's the '60s. And the city is back in full swing, in Broadway's first-ever revival of PROMISES, PROMISES - starring Emmy® Award winner Sean Hayes (Will and Grace) as the enterprising associate on the way up, and Tony® and Emmy® Award winner Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked) as the cafeteria waitress whose romantic troubles have got her down. Now playing on Broadway! Click here to save up to 40%! Visit: http://www.promisespromisesbroadway.com

MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL. Join our vibrant new community to connect with theatre practitioners and fans from around the world. Share advice, photos, videos, sets, props, costumes and a whole lot more to bring your next production to life. Visit MTI ShowSpace by clicking: www.mtishowspace.com.

IN 1987 ON THE SUNSET STRIP, A SMALL TOWN GIRL MET A BIG CITY ROCKER and in LA’s most legendary rock club, they fell in love to the greatest songs of the ‘80s. ROCK OF AGES is an arena-rock love story told through the mind-blowing, face-melting hits of Journey, Bon Jovi, Styx, Reo Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia, Whitesnake and many more. Don’t miss this awesomely good time about dreaming big, playing loud and partying on.

HERE'S OUR FRIEND Ben Ross cavorting on a cold Canadian beach, but keeping warm in the newest, freshest version of the Cast Party t-shirt! Can you believe this 100% cotton beauty can be yours for a mere $20 plus $5 for shipping? They come in S, M, L and XL! Click: CastPartyNYC.com/Goods.

JIM CARUSO…THE PARTY CONTINUES ON CD: Caruso: Live and In Person, with Billy Stritch on piano. "Jim is funny, facile and fabulous! He performs with charm, wit and style, and is vastly entertaining." -- Michael Feinstein. "A cabaret-lover's dream!" -- Chip Deffaa, New York Post. "An unbeatable act of jazz, pop, comedy and conversation that is different from anything else in town." -- Rex Reed, New York Observer. "This impish, twinkling-eyed performer exudes the buoyant spirits of a conetmporary vaudevillian…with an extremely tart lemon tucked firmly in his cheek." -- Stephen Holden, New York Times.

STEVE DOYLE, THE CAST PARTY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BASS PLAYER, has been an active part of the jazz and cabaret scene in New York for the past 18 years, performing with many internationally renowned artists including Bucky Pizzarelli, Billy Stritch, Tony Desare, Rigmor Gustafssen, Klea Blackhurst, Hilary Kole, Dave Stryker, Steve Slagle, Christine Ebersole, Pekka Pylkannen, Stephanie Block, K.T. Sullivan, Emily Skinner, Freddie Bryant, Marilyn Maye, Lari White and many others. Get the full scoop and check out his 1997 CD, Presence, at www.stevedoyle.com.

TEDD FIRTH, OF THE CAST PARTY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, is a New York City based accompanist, jazz pianist and arranger. He has accompanied many renowned artists, including Lee Ann Womack, Faith Prince, Tom Wopat, Margaret Whiting, Maureen McGovern and Marilyn Maye. Among the jazz musicians he has worked with are John Pizzarelli, Houston Person, Benny Golson and Joe Morello. Mr. Firth's New York appearances include the Blue Note, Birdland, the Iridium, the Algonquin, the Rainbow Room, Carnegie Hall, and the Russian Tea Room. Tedd's arrangements have been performed by the Philadelphia Pops and the Ocean City Pops. Find him on MySpace Music at www.myspace.com/teddfirth.

BILLY STRITCH'S WATERS OF MARCH: THE BRAZILIAN ALBUM: "...Stritch imaginatively captures the magic of the bossa nova rhythm on some terrific cuts, including three by Brazilian music icon Antonio Carlos Jobim. Of these, probably the most memorable is "Someone to Light Up My Life," which most Americans first heard on Sarah Vaughan's legendary Brazilian album. Here Stritch captures the simple sensitivity and all the yearning poignancy the composer had in mind when he first penned it. Sergio Mendez's "So Many Stars" takes you on an indolent, dreamy, and gentle journey...[Stritch's] phrasings and delicate nuances are so insightful that the album becomes a powerful musical statement with many subtle, yet potent, moments." -- John Hoglund, Backstage. The CD and all things Billy Stritch are at www.billystritch.com.

TRAVERSE CITY WEB DESIGN - BRINGING YOU THIS VERY CAST PARTY NEWSLETTER, offers a full line of web design and online marketing services. We have a wide range of packages and services ideal for entertainers and performers - from one-page "portfolio" sites, to press kits, to full online archives, we can create and host a site that's perfect for you. We also offer marketing services, such as online mass mailings, and can help maximize your site's presence in search engines. Friends & family discount! Mention the Cast Party Newsletter and receive 10% off. Get online with us!

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!

SQUIGS DRAWS THE STARS. Justin 'Squigs' Robertson is quickly becoming known far and wide for capturing show biz folk in pen and ink. 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 onstage. Squigs is currently posting a fresh weekly sketch or two celebrating the American theatre on his Facebook page, 'Squigs Knows His Lines.' Drop by and become a fan. You can also visit Squigs' website for a look at his 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. Visit Squigs on Facebook, too!

This newsletter brought to you each week by Jim Caruso and Traverse City Web Design.