Birdland Jazz Club will celebrate the landmark 20th Anniversary of its popular weekly open mic night/variety show, Jim Caruso’s Cast Party, with a special edition on Monday, July 24 at 9:30 PM. The evening will feature regular favorites and special surprise guests. As usual, music director Billy Stritch is at the ivories, along with Steve Doyle on bass and Daniel Glass on drums.
Every Monday night since 2003, showbiz superstars hit the stage alongside up-and-comers, with showman Jim Caruso guiding the entire affair with razor-sharp humor and the unbridled enthusiasm of an uber-fan. But the real fun starts when the audience participates in the onstage festivities. Broadway legends, jazzers, cabaret divas, starry-eyed tourists and kids right off the bus storm the stage to entertain each other.
“Creating and hosting Cast Party changed my life,” Caruso reflects. “For the life of me, I can’t remember what I did on Monday nights or who I hung out with before 2003. The past twenty years have been a joyous experience. I’ve gotten to meet people from all over the world doing what they love to do. I hate to sound corny, but Cast Party continues to be very inspiring. What started as a weird, show-biz adjacent side-gig has come to mean the world to me!”
Caruso and company have hosted over 1,040 Cast Party shows at Birdland, to say nothing of the dozens of Cast Party events across the country, in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, London, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, Dallas, Cleveland, Austin, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Orlando, the Hamptons, Provincetown and on the high seas.
Jim Caruso’s Cast Party has been honored with four BroadwayWorld Awards, two MAC Awards, a Bistro Award, and a Nightlife Award. When the world shut down during the pandemic, Caruso, migrated to YouTube with 82 episodes of Pajama Cast Party, a weekly virtual show presenting musical performances via livestream. This show received five BroadwayWorld Awards and a Summit Award.
There is a $25-35 music charge and a $20 food and beverage minimum. For reservations, please call (212) 581-3080 or visitwww.BirdlandJazz.com.
Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues) in Manhattan.
