The Cabaret Chronicles: Jim Van Slyke, Cast Party, and More!

Happy Monday!  After a brief hiatus from show-going due to circumstances beyond my control, I was back in action last week and having a grand ol' time!  On Monday, April 18, I began the night at Feinstein's at Loews Regency to see Jim Van Slyke in The Sedaka Show.  Although I've seen the show before, there's a reason I keep going back: it is THAT good!  Also, Jim has a wonderful knack of making songs he's likely sung hundreds of times seem fresh and new each and every time he performs them.  It's interesting, too, to see how the show has grown since I first saw it nearly two years ago.  Songs have been added, arrangements have settled in, and Jim seems to be living and breathing each song as they're occurring.  There is a greater physicality to the show; Jim seems to feel the songs with his whole body instead of just his mind, which makes it very engaging to watch.  Directed by Brian Lane Green with musical direction by Tim DiPasqua, this show flows seamlessly, incorporating just enough biographical details to satisfy curious audience members looking for detailed Sedaka info, but it thankfully never veers into mundane or encyclopedic territory.  One thing the common audience member may not be aware of is Sedaka's classical training and lifelong love of classical music.  This is highlighted beautifully with the inclusion of "Turning Back the Hands of Time," which features lyrics by Neil Sedaka set to the melody of Puccini's "Nessun Dorma."  This selection also gives Mr. Van Slyke the opportunity to show off HIS classical chops, which are quite formidable!  Another powerhouse number is "The Immigrant," which was written in honor of John Lennon, who, at the time it was written, had recently had his request to become a permanent resident denied.  Plenty of time is devoted to crowd-pleasing hits including "Breaking Up is Hard to Do,"  "Bad Blood," "Love Will Keep Us Together," a medley of "Pray For Rain" and "Laughter in the Rain," and a mega-medley including "Oh! Carol," "Calendar Girl," "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen," "Right Next Door to an Angel," and "Where The Boys Are."  From start to finish, it's a thoroughly entertaining, beautifully performed show!  NYC folks have one more chance to catch it TONIGHT - Monday, April 25^th at 8:30 p.m. at Feinstein's at Loews Regency.

After The Sedaka Show, I hightailed it over to Birdland for Jim Caruso's Cast Party.  Cast Party is always highly enjoyable, but this may well be one of the best I've ever seen!  Featuring stellar performances by the likes of Clint Holmes, Marilyn Maye and Larry Gatlin, mixed in among incredible performances by Cast Party regulars like David Goldman, William Blake, Sean Harkness & Mike Herriot and Trevor McQueen, and you've got quite a show!  The "Cast Party Symphony Orchestra" (Tedd Firth on piano and Steve Doyle on bass) was superb, as usual, and host Jim Caruso was as charming, witty, and entertaining as ever.  A night like this is EXACTLY why, after 6 years of attending Cast Party, I still make it a point to go as often as possible!

Thursday evening, it was off to the Friars Club, for their Café Thursdays, hosted by the charming and talented Stan Gilbert.  An open mic for Friars (and their invited guests), Café Thursdays has become an extremely popular event at the club!  Every table is packed, and members throng 2-3 deep at the bar.  One of the reasons for its success is the raucous, "we're all here to have fun" atmosphere created by Mr. Gilbert, the fabulous backing band (Marty Silver on piano, Bobby Sher on drums and any number of horn/wind playing Friars who happen to show up!), and the performers.  Crowd-pleasing, uptempo standards and pop tunes are the usual fare here, and most songs find the audience members singing, clapping, and (on occasion!) dancing along.  This past Thursday was no exception, with crowd-pleasing numbers performed by Mr. Gilbert, Mr. Silver, Friar Rena Strober, guest vocalist Hilary Kole, and many others!

That's about all for now, but check back soon for a new article!

Pictured: Jim Van Slyke