Jim Caruso's Cast Party with Billy Stritch at the Piano

1 Carmichael Square,Carmel IN 46032

20 May, 2023

Description

Doors at 5:30pm, Show starts at 7:30pm$25/guest Food & Beverage MinimumCabaret Seating - All seats at the table are for sale. Buying one seat does NOT secure the table.Cast Party is a wildly popular happening that has brought Broadway glitz and urbane wit to the legendary Birdland in New York City every Monday night since 2003. It is the ultimate spot to mix and mingle with show folk and the people who love them. Cast Party is a hilariously impromptu variety show/open mic where showbiz superstars and up-and-comers deliver jaw-dropping musical performances and razzle-dazzle. You just never know WHO will show up! Caruso and Stritch have also taken the show on the road, and celebrated talent in London, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nashville, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin, Dallas, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Orlando, Provincetown, and Miami, as well as very special all-star events at The Town Hall and Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. *Interested open mic participants can learn more about the event and sign up to secure a spot by emailing the host at [email protected]. Legendary showman Jim Caruso guides the entire affair with razor-sharp humor and the unbridled enthusiasm of an uber-fan, and musical genius Billy Stritch holds court at the baby grand. But the real fun starts when the audience participates in the onstage festivities. Theatrical legends, jazzers, cabaret divas, starry-eyed tourists and kids right off the bus take to the stage and entertain each other. If you have a voice, a dream and some sheet music, your Cast Party moment awaits. Cast Party has been honored with nine BroadwayWorld Awards, four MAC Awards, a Bistro Award, a Summit Award, a Nightlife Award, and in 2022 received “Show of the Year” from Manhattan Association of Clubs. “Cast Party is show business heaven!” The New York Times “Cast Party is a freewheeling, off-hours Broadway playground.” The New York Times “Cast Party is showbiz mecca.” The LA Times “The gold-standard of open mic nights.” Wall Street Journal “A vital pulse point of the musical-theater bloodstream. Every week, a star or a standard might be born.” Time Out New York “The King of Showbiz hosts the mother of all open mic nights…Jim Caruso has some of the slickest and quickest commentary I’ve ever heard.” London Jazz News “Ace pianist Billy Stritch and funny, fast-thinking Jim Caruso pool their talents for a nimble, nonstop, musical show-biz bonanza with as much rhythm and class as the feet of Astaire.” The New York Observer “A few years ago 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 arriving in New York just off the bus all the way to Liza Minnelli; people get to express themselves without artifice. I never stop learning there! 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 “Cast Party is a success because of Jim Caruso and the affection the theatrical community feels for him. He’s talented and funny and tenacious and bright. Cast Party is exactly how I pictured New York nightlife when I dreamed of being on Broadway!” - Liza Minnelli “You kids are helping keep the American Songbook alive!” - Tony Bennett “Cast Party is cabaret church, and Jim Caruso is its Irreverent Reverend.” - Ann Hampton Callaway “It's rare to be in a lively room where performers cheer each other on. Welcome to Cast Party!” - Melissa Manchester “My heart exploded over all the aspiring singers having their moments! Jim made me realize that honoring the history of this music will never get old, that what I do is more important than I realized, and that there’s endless room for humor, wit and joy alongside serious artistry.” - Jane Monheit “There are certain kinds of cars you cannot take on the racetrack, because they just won’t respond to the curves. The Cast Party Symphony Orchestra is like a high-class, high-tuned Lamborghini-style automobile. They can do it all. - Kurt Elling