Happy weekend, everyone! 

Can you believe it's the end of May?  I don't know if it's just me or what, but time seems to be flying!!  I headed out of town for the Memorial Day weekend, so my showgoing week was slightly abbreviated, but I still managed to pack in some high-quality entertainment!

 I arrived back in town on Monday evening, just in time to head over to Cast Party!  Host Jim Caruso was unable to be there, and had to call in a last minute substitute - happily for everyone, Jim knows some pretty incredible people, and he was able to get writer/producer extraordinaire Scott Siegel to take the helm for the night!  Scott did a terrific job of hosting, and the incredible amount of talent that showed up to perform made his job that much easier!  There were all kinds of fantastic performers, including Christine Lavin, Ray Jessel, Sammy Goldstein, Hilary Kole, and jazz legend Jon Hendricks, who treated us to a couple of tunes, one of which he sang with his daughter, Aria!  In honor of Memorial Day, "funny jazz chick" Joan Crowe had brought Cole Porter's "I'm In Love With a Soldier Boy" to sing.  I kiddingly suggested that she go pick up some sailors to join her, since, after all, it was Fleet Week in NYC.  Well, boy was I surprised when she left Birdland and came back about 10 minutes later, surrounded by four Marines!  Three of the four joined her onstage for her number, and it was a riot!  You can check out the video here.  Overall, a great night - thank you, Scott Siegel, for jumping in at the last minute and doing an admirable job of hosting! 

On Wednesday, May 27^th, I headed over to Don't Tell Mama to catch the aforementioned Ray Jessel in his solo show.  Now, I am, admittedly, a Ray Jessel groupie.  Whenever he's in town, I make it a point to get to his show at least once during the run, and usually more!  But there's a reason: he is hands-down one of the best entertainers I know!  I invariably end up spending the night with a grin on my face, and leave the show feeling much more carefree and lighthearted than when I entered.  And Wednesday's show was no exception.  From his opening, "I'm a Victim of Identity Theft" (a fun little ditty about how he pities the poor soul who inherited his problems by stealing his identity), Ray had the audience enraptured, and he continued to delight throughout the show!  One of the things I love about Ray is that he can have you nearly falling out of your chair laughing on one song, such as the naughty, "What She's Got" and the next moment bring a tear to your eye with a tender ballad, such as "I'm Alright Now" or "With Any Luck."  He has two more performances left in this run: Tuesday, June 9^th and Tuesday, June 23^rd (both at 9:15 p.m.) - if you haven't seen him yet, I highly encourage you to do so! 

That's all I've got to report on for now, but check back for more next Friday! 

Where I'm going this week...  

Sunday, May 31st: The Algonquin Salon - FREE singer/songwriter/musician soiree in the lobby of the famed Algonquin Hotel.  This Sunday's guest go-host is one of my FAVORITE singers Broadway and cabaret diva Karen Mason and the optional theme is "Tony Time!" - material from Tony Award-winning or nominated musicals!  Founder Mark Janas is the host/pianist.  Be sure to arrive early to sign up if you'd like to perform!  

Monday, June 1st:  Cast Party at Birdland.  Hosted by Jim Caruso, this fantastic open mic runs from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. but again, make sure you get there early to sign up if you want to sing!  

Thursday, June 4th:  Gretchen Reinhagen in her new show: Almost Blue.  Gretchen is lending her fab voice to a smorgasbord of  bluesy and "almost blue" tunes and is backed by an all-female band led by musical director Tracy Stark on piano.  The show is at 9:45 at the Metropolitan Room - can't wait!

Pictured: Ray Jessel

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