Quotes

“Cast Party is a freewheeling off-hours Broadway playground.”
– Stephen Holden, New York Times

"Whereas, I am enormously proud to lead a city renowned as a global capital of the arts. Jim Caruso's Cast Party has enriched our dynamic cultural landscape since 2003, and on the occasion of it's 20th anniversary, I am pleased to recognize the weekly show's tremendous contributions to our performing arts and nightlife sectors."
- Eric Adams, Mayor of the City of New York

“Jim Caruso’s Cast Party celebrates talent. Big talent. Very big talent.”
- Jeryl Brunner, Forbes Magazine

“SHOW BUSINESS HEAVEN!”
– Stephen Holden, New York Times

"Cast Party is show biz mecca!"
- Los Angeles Times

Cast Party is exactly how I pictured New York nightlife when I dreamed of living in New York City! When I was a kid, my mother took me to see Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway, and it changed my life! I wanted to be one of those kids on that stage! From then on, it was all about being a New Yorker, and to me that meant hanging out with the most talented people I could find. When I stepped into Birdland, I knew I was home! Jim Caruso’s Cast Party reminded me of the parties we’d give at the house, when everyone would sing around the piano. It’s a success because of Jim and the affection the theatrical community feels for him. He’s talented and funny and tenacious and bright, and I love him.
- Liza Minnelli

"It should be proclaimed the longest-running cabaret show in town!"
- Times Square Chronicles

"Caruso plays equal parts showman, maestro, wizard, concierge, and positive force for musical good."
- Cabaret Scenes

"Let's call this an open mic on steroids....it's cultural roulette!"
- Cultural Attaché

"Jim Caruso is the Talent Whisperer!"
- Forbes Magazine

“The gold standard of open mic nights. ”
– Wall Street Journal

“The Kings of Showbiz hosts the mother of all open mic nights…required watching for anyone in the live music and entertainment business! Jim Caruso has some of the slickest commentary and quickest comebacks I’ve ever heard. Billy Stritch is one of the finest, most entertaining singer/pianists on the planet.”
- London Jazz News

Great to run into Jim Caruso at Birdland, his sophisticated nest. People moan that Manhattan ain’t what it once was but Jim makes sure that it still is, while keeping it up to date. It is a balancing act that takes a lot of talent and grace and showmanship. His Cast Party at Birdland is celebrating its 20th anniversary on the 24th.
- Kevin Sessums, Small Town NY

Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch turn up the heat bringing Cast Party to sultry South Beach.
- Steve Rothaus, Miami Herald

“A Monday night institution.”
– Cabaret Confidential

“…an extreme open mic!"
– ABC TV

“Jim Caruso is uber-talented!"
– Entertainment Tonight

"a velvety smooth evening of jokes, japes and just about every style of fabulous."
- This Is Cabaret, London

“Pianist Billy Stritch is thrilling…guaranteed to send you into orbit."
– Rex Reed, New York Observer

“…a vital pulse point of the musical theater bloodstream: every week a star or a standard might be born.”
–Time Out NY

“Bassist Steve Doyle gives firm support and swings solidly.”
– Jazz Times

"Attending Jim Caruso's Cast Party should be mandatory, or covered by health insurance, because it is vital."
- Benoît Maréchal

“Starrier than the Hayden Planetarium…a hot spot where Broadway and Hollywood tip, twirl and hit the mic. It's become the place to cruise, schmooze, sing and be seen.”
– Playbill

“It's Monday night in NYC and what to do? Jim Caruso presides over Cast Party at Birdland with incredible flair and a dry wit. This open mic attracts the crème de la crème of Broadway stars on their night off, and is brilliantly entertaining.”
– Travel Secrets, Tanya Rose

“On Monday nights, when many musicals’ casts have the night off, Broadway’s A-list entertainers hit the Birdland nightclub, on 44th Street just west of Eighth Avenue, to outsing each other at the upbeat Jim Caruso’s Cast Party open-mic variety show. Just how insid-ery is it? Liza Minnelli had her birthday party here – and took the stage to entertain her admirers.”
– Scanorama, Sweden

“Cast Party is cabaret church, and Jim Caruso is it’s Irreverent Reverend!”
– Ann Hampton Callaway

“On Monday nights the multi- talented Jim Caruso holds his celebrated Cast Party. At this casually elegant gathering, eminent show business names, Broadway and cabaret pros, and new talent show up to perform and mingle with the audience until the wee hours of the morning.”
– Accent Magazine

“VegasVille is about to receive a ray of sunlight in the form of Jim Caruso. Mr. Sunshine, that's Caruso!”
– Las Vegas Sun

“My friend Jim Caruso created something called Cast Party, a cross-section of Broadway singers, actors, producers and fans, who have the communal experience of getting up to perform. Cast Party is so different from reality shows or American Idol. I’ve never seen anybody treated cruelly, and people are appreciated for who they are. From someone who is just off the bus arriving in New York – to Liza Minnelli…people learn tremendously from being there – I learn – because we see people express themselves without artifice. There are no mechanics that can make someone seem better than they are. I never stop learning there! It’s the hardest thing to do to get up in a smallish room and entertain people. To learn how to do that is something that only comes from experience. When kids ask me for advice, I say the best thing you can do is to find a place to perform and do it on a regular basis.”
– Michael Feinstein, Michael Feinstein's American Songbook, PBS