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Ada Pasternak

​Jim Caruso Brings Together Stars and Up and Comers at Birdland’s Monday Night Open Mic

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party” has been bringing music and razzle dazzle together at an open mic variety show at the legendary Birdland Jazz Club every Monday night since 2003.

Superstars of showbiz hit the stage alongside up-and-comers, serving up jaw-dropping music and general razzle-dazzle on the famous Birdland Jazz Club stage at Jim Caruso’s Cast Party.
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“I’m the ringleader of the entire affair, and my best friend and musical director, Billy Stritch, holds court at the ivories,” said Caruso, who has been running the show at Birdland every Monday night since 2003. “The ‘Symphony Orchestra’ also includes Steve Doyle on bass and Daniel Glass on drums, who are two of the best musicians in the world.” Read More

​“It’s Been a Joyful, Inspiring Gig” — How Jim and Ruby Created a Pandemic Pajama Party with Star Quality
Even though he was “sad and depressed and stuff” his next action created a brand new show — Pajama Cast Party — that reached a weekly audience which peaked at 15,000 (the maximum Birdland crowd is 150) and connected him with a young producer (who had first attended Cast Party at age 6). His action was going LIVE on Instagram… Read more

Jim Caruso Keeps Hell's Kitchen Swingin'

Jim Caruso is one of the hardest working stars in the biz. He made his Broadway debut with Liza Minnelli in the Tony Award-winning smash hit Liza's At The Palace! Read More

15 Questions in 15 Minutes with Birdland's Jim Caruso

Famed showman and impresario Jim Caruso hasn’t let the coronavirus pandemic slow him down. He continues to keep audiences connected to the New York nightclub scene... Read more

BWW Interview: SO NOW YOU KNOW with Jim Caruso

"Let's go on with the show"! And what a show it's been thanks to the host with the most, Mr. Jim Caruso! Read more

​BWW Feature: At Home With Jim Caruso

Jim Caruso, an industrious and ingenious man, allowed himself some time to be stunned by the lockdown but it was just a matter of time before the cool cat in limbo landed on his feet. Read more

Impresario Jim Caruso Goes Virtual with ‘Pajama Cast Party’

Who could ever have imagined that one day such iconic TV shows as The Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live and the recent, star-studded “One World: Together At Home” concert, streamed all over the world, would feature celebrities performing from their living rooms?  Read more

​Six Questions Special Edition: Cast Party Host and Entertainer Jim Caruso

In these extraordinary and uncertain times of COVID-19, with venues closed and live performance at a halt, NiteLife Exchange is reaching out and covering the effect the crisis is having on performing artists. Read more

Jim Caruso still throws the biggest 'Cast Party' in town, 16 years and counting

Jim Caruso knows how to throw a party. In fact, he has been throwing a musical party for more than 15 years, and he shows no signs of turning off the music (let’s hope the lights stay on though). Read more

Cast Party celebrates talent. Big talent.
​Very big talent.

This Open Mic Is The Ultimate Celebrity Go-To Spot. There are open mics and then there is Jim Caruso's Cast Party. The variety extravaganza is held every Monday night at the glamorous New York jazz mecca Birdland. Read more
W42st Magazine

​W42st issue 11 - Thank You Hell's Kitchen!

His open mic night hosts everyone from Liza Minnelli to Jon Bon Jovi to Donny Osmond. But Jim Caruso is the real star of the show, writes Ruth Walker. Read more
Spotlight Magazine 

Jim Caruso's Cast Party

A visit to one the most iconic entertainment spots in New York.  
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Examiner.com

Jim Caruso's award-winning 'Cast Party' coming South Beach

Jim Caruso's Cast Party, famed as the wildest, most entertaining soiree in Manhattan, will be recreated in South Beach Thursday night when he and award-winning pianist Billy Stritch bring their show to the Cabaret in South Beach. Read more
Miami Herald

New York cabaret stars Jim Caruso, Billy Stritch to host South Beach ‘Cast Party’

New York cabaret stars Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch are having a South Beach Cast Party, and you’re invited. Bring your sheet music. Leave your sad songs at home. 
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London Jazz News

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party London at Crazy Coqs

A New York institution, Jim Caruso’s Cast Party at Birdland is the mother of all open mic nights, welcoming everyone from Broadway stars to complete newbies across all the genres - a variety show for anyone who has the chutzpah to get up and perform. 
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This is Cabaret

Review: Jim Caruso’s Cast Party With Billy Stritch, Crazy Coqs

MC Jim Caruso and pianist Billy Stritch took London by storm on their debut night of Cast Party – the glitzy open mic night for cabaret and musicals flown over from the legendary Birdland Club in New York City and settling for just two nights at the Crazy Coqs.
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BroadwayWorld.com

Q&A: Jim Caruso's Cast Party!

Every Monday night at Birdland in New York City, cabaret performer/impresario Jim Caruso hosts a party that's the stuff of showbiz dreams.
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BLEEP Magazine Cover Story

Creativity. Uncensored. 
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Huffington Post

Jazzing Things Up With  'Broadway at Birdland' 

Times change. Tastes change. But look closely and you'll find proponents who keep tradition alive for the faithful, and with the foresight of knowing that what's old will someday be new once again.
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Edge Media Network

A Swingin' Birdland Christmas 

Is there anything cozier than sitting down in an intimate jazz club to enjoy a heartwarming holiday cabaret show?
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Page Six

Liza Minnelli gives surprise performance at ‘best party in NY’

Liza Minnelli gave a surprise performance Sunday at Bemelmans Bar.
Read more    
Huffington Post

Hey, L.A., They're Coming Your Way

When you think of Beverly Hills after dark, quiet and serene, you don't picture Broadway belters, noisy crowds and cabaret ingénues packing a club for one of America's most exciting -- and unpredictable -- nights on the town.
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New York Times

Forget Your Troubles With Songs of Hollywood

If you’re nostalgic for those perky TV variety shows when celebrities “dropped in” to chat and share a song and dance, "Jim Caruso's Cast Party," a decade-long Monday evening series at Birdland, is a welcoming oasis of traditional show business bonhomie. Its subliminal message: Yes, you can go home again.
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Dallas Observer

Jim Caruso Brings his Cast Party from Broadway to Dallas in May

For a decade cabaret star Jim Caruso has been lighting up Mondays, traditionally Broadway's performance-free "dark night," with his late-night Cast Party.
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New York Daily News

Jim Caruso's Birdland 'Cast Party' highlights cabaret's stars in an open-mic late-night show

Jim Caruso is a quadruple threat: He sings, dances, acts...and writes.
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Las Vegas Sun

Peppermill summit lures Jim Caruso … 

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Las Vegas Sun

He’s a little bit cabaret: Jim Caruso returns to the Smith Center with ‘Cast Party’

Jim Caruso wants to be an Osmond.
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Playbill

PHOTO CALL: Liza Minnelli Visits Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch at Bemelmans Bar Residency at the Carlyle

Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch are back at Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle for an extended Sunday night residency through April and May where the duo will be joined for impromptu collaborations with showbiz heavy hitters like recent attendee Liza Minnelli. 
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Observer

Two’s a Crowd: Billy Stritch and Jim Caruso Cover the Waterfront

Who says there’s nothing to do in New York on a cold Sunday night?
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My New York: Lisa Lampanelli 

Comedian Lisa Lampanelli, who spoke to The Post on her 50th birthday, has lived all over Manhattan, on and off, for the past three decades.
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New York Post
Daily News

Party On

Martin Short road-tested a tune before a “Late Show” appearance. Tony Bennett cheered on eager hopefuls. And a middle-aged woman from Commack sang an original song about her feet.
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Accent Magazine 

Cabaret Renaissance 

John Iachetti doesn’t spend much time behind his desk at the entrance to Feinstein’s. Smiling and charming, the director of entertainment greets guests and personally escorts them to their tables, as if hosting an exclusive private dinner party.
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Cleveland.com

'Jim Caruso's Cast Party' coming to Nighttown in October 

A) not only watch the Tony Awards show every year, but have gone to New York to see every nominated show and performance in advance, or …
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Frommer's NYC

Divas Belting it Out 

Even Broadway stars like to show off at parties.  The difference is, when they do it, they bring sheet music so that top musicians can accompany them live…and about 250 people show up to listen.
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Watershed Post

This Weekend: Jim Caruso's Cast Party 

This Friday, Cast Party, a weekly cabaret and variety show that usually spends its Monday nights entertaining crowds at the legendary Manhattan jazz club Birdland, is coming to Belleayre for a little Borscht Belt nostalgia.
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The Broadway Blog

The Broadway Blog 

Once a month, a member of the theater community will pull up a chair to our cyber table and join us for a little conversation. I’ll edit the transcripts (removing the truly libelous parts) and post the results here every second Wednesday. Without further adieu, let me introduce…
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examiner.com

Scott Siegel presents: The Best of Jim Caruso’s Cast Party 2012

My dilemma is – does Scott Siegel ever sleep?  After all, he produces and creates a season of events at The Town Hall in New York City that includes Broadway By the Year, Broadway Unplugged, The Nightlife Awards, a late night Ballyhoo of Broadway stars, ever changing weekly at Feinstein’s at the Loews Regency, and now the 2nd season of “The Best of Jim Caruso’s Cast Party” for the benefit of The Actors Fund.
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Huffington Post

Cabaret is Cool Again Thanks to Jim Caruso's Cast Party 

On Monday nights in NYC when Broadway shows are dark, the place to see and be seen is Jim Caruso's Cast Party at Birdland. In the eight years since Caruso created it, Cast Party has become legendary for its open mic night which has hosted everyone from Tony Bennett to an Arizona housewife singing a song about pollution.
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The Wall Street Journal

A Stage for Stars and Fans Alike 

It's midnight on any given Monday at Birdland, one of the world's most famous jazz club.
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Cabaret Confessional

Hold Your Applause - Jim Caruso is the Life of the Party 

Jim Caruso is like any other guy who has friends around for a sing-along at the piano once a week. Except in his case, the piano is in one of the most famous jazz clubs in the world and his friends are some of the biggest names in show business.
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Canyon News

Jim Caruso's “Cast Party” With Billy Stritch

HOLLYWOOD - Jim Caruso recently made his Broadway debut alongside Liza Minnelli in the smash hit “Liza’s At The Palace!”
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NBC New York

Inside Showbiz Boss Jim Caruso's Cast Party at Birdland

See photo gallery
Passport Magazine

Michael Feinstein

With a career devoted to exalting American Popular Song, the Columbus, Ohio-born pianist/singer Michael Feinstein has garnered five Grammy nominations and multiple platinum records.
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New York Times

The Showboats Must Go On (Even on Their Nights Off)

Bites from the Broadway bug can be deep, incurable and — for both actors and fans — easy to scratch, even on nights when not much is playing onstage.
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Los Angeles Times

At 'Cast Party,' the mike is open and the party is on

The distinctive New York show attracts the established and the wannabe, and they often share the stage. The show is coming to L.A.
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Playbill

PHOTO CALL: Liza Minnelli Celebrates Birthday at Birdland

Liza Minnelli celebrated her 64th birthday party at Jim Caruso's Cast Party at Birdland March 15.
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BroadwayWorld.com

Photo Flash: Stars Come Out to Celebrate Liza Minnelli's 64th Birthday at Birdland's Cast Party

Last night, March 15, the stars came out to celebrate 64 years of Liza Minnelli, who turned 64 on March 12, 2010. Friends such as Parker Posey, Joel Grey and Billy Stritch celebrated with a night of performances honoring Liza, one of theater's all-time greats.
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New York Daily News

Broadway at Birdland: What a swell 'Cast Party' it is!

If there is such a thing as a boring night in New York, it’s Monday.
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Las Vegas Sun

Las Vegas Sun

We might not need it, given the torridity of the climate, but VegasVille is about to receive a ray of sunlight in the form of Jim Caruso.
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BroadwayWorld.com

Jim Caruso Talks Cast Party

On any given Monday night, visitors to Birdland on 44th Street might be serenaded by performers like Michael Feinstein and Chita Rivera, or by the next generation of New York’s cabaret and Broadway stars. Jim Caruso’s Cast Party has become an institution in its own right, offering newbies and dyed-in-the-wool pros alike a moment in the spotlight.
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Las Vegas Review-Journal

Cabaret show a celebrity sighting

Want to hang with the show people? They are easy to find on the right dates, provided you can stay up late on a weeknight.
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The Plain Dealer, Cleveland

Theater

The singing doesn't stop in New York on Monday nights just because the theaters are dark.
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Sewickley Herald

Academy’s Arts Hall of Fame welcomes versatile stage talent Jim Caruso

When Jim Caruso asked his parents for an agent when he was 7 years old, he couldn't have possibly imagined he someday would be imitating a feminine hygiene product.
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Las Vegas Sun

Any number of Strip stars could pop in to Caruso's 'Cast Party' at the Smith Center

Jim Caruso wants to be an Osmond. "I have always wanted to be adopted into that family," said the founder of the free wheeling Cast Party.
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Las Vegas Review-Journal

Sightings

Flamingo headliner Donny Osmond, belting out “Moon River” at Jim Caruso's “Cast Party” (Alexis Park Resort) on Wednesday for a crowd that included a deep lineup of local entertainers.
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BroadwayWorld.com

BroadwayWorld.com

A typical New York nightclub might promote their open mic evenings by reminding patrons that they never know when they might wind up seeing the next Liza Minnelli.
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Views of Vegas

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party Returns to Las Vegas

What a great night I had at the very first Cast Party in Las Vegas in August.
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The Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal

On a Monday night 10 years ago, Jim Caruso, working in press relations at a now-defunct club, threw a party for his performer friends.
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CabaretConfessional.com

Cabaret Confessional

Every Monday night at Birdland in New York City, Broadway and cabaret impresario Jim Caruso hosts a party like no other.
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Las Vegas Weekly

You Never Know Who Might Drop In

Open-mic Cast Party draws stars from the Strip and beyond.
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The Village Voice

Insight From Singer Jim Caruso

Jim Caruso hosts Cast Party, the long-running Monday night entertainment free for-all at Birdland, but he’s even better known for performing with the lusty legend known as Liza Minnelli.
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Nightside, NBC

NiteTalk: Showbiz Boss Jim Caruso Dishes to Niteside

Showbiz boss Jim Caruso is the host of his own show, Cast Party, the Monday night soiree at Birdland, just steps away from the Broadway lights. But his involvement in the entertainment biz doesn’t stop there. 
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Gay City News

The Great Caruso

Also out with a new CD, “The Swing Set,” is New York nightlife impresario Jim Caruso, whose percolating “Cast Party” every Monday night at Birdland always attracts, as he is often wont to say, “some of the world’s greatest singers...and other people.”
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