Jim Caruso's Family Pajama Cast Party in The Works For Monday

Lots of theater and nightclub-goers swear that Jim Caruso's Cast Party is the mother of all open mic night/variety shows. It certainly is one of the longest-running impromptu extravaganzas on the scene. The very first Cast Party took place in 2003. Host Caruso was doing press for a now-defunct piano lounge. The boredom of writing press releases for drink specials got the best of him, so he threw a party for his Rolodex of talented friends. The fun lasted until the wee hours, with everyone taking a turn at the mic. The club offered Jim a Monday residency, he accepted, and never looked back!

Cast Party immediately became a sing-and-be-seen weekly Manhattan happening, drawing A-list Broadway types (Minnelli, Chenoweth, Stephen Schwartz), jazzers, cabaret divas, up-and-comers and a just few performers you'd be hard-pressed to classify. As Jim says, "We're entertained by some of the greatest singers in the world. Also other people..."

The eventual move to iconic music room Birdland became the long-running key to Cast Party success. As owner Gianni Valenti warned Jim, "If I give you every single Monday, then you're gonna be here every single Monday!" It was music to the host's ears, and over the almost-two decades of Mondays, he's missed exactly six nights.

With the pandemic, of course, came shutdowns. Birdland has been shuttered since March, but Caruso refused to stop the fun. Thanks to the technical know-how of producer Ruby Locknar, he's continued the showbiz lineup for at-home viewers worldwide via Cast Party Network on YouTube for thirty-five straight weeks.

This coming week is a bit of a family show, featuring singers who were present that very first night almost eighteen years ago! Singer/pianist Billy Stritch, Broadway belter Klea Blackhurst, beloved cabaret diva Natalie Douglas, theater and recording artist Julie Garnye, jazz goddess Gabrielle Stravelli and "Madam Secretary" star Erich Bergen will join Jim to reminisce and sing.

When discussing Cast Party, name-dropping comes easy. Liza was a constant presence before she moved to warmer climes. Betty Comden. Natalie Cole. Ariana Grande. Tony Bennett. Donny Osmond. Charlie Puth. Carol Channing. They've all grabbed the mic to sing a little something with Billy Stritch at the piano, and the extraordinary Cast Party Symphony Orchestra, which includes Daniel Glass on drums and Steve Doyle on bass. The trio can play anything and sound like they've been rehearsing for weeks. But this is spur-of-the-moment, folks. Nobody calls ahead, so everyone who walks through the door is a surprise. "There have been nights when I've thought, well...this is it...we've hit our peak. The Party is over. Then the Birdland door opens and Chita shimmies in. Or Jonathan Pryce, who brought his entire Merchant of Venice cast. Or the cast of "Real Housewives of New York City. It's never-ending come-what-mayhem!"

Caruso is jazzed about this coming Monday's show. "I can't wait. Not to sound altruistic, but the Cast Party community is very precious. What might look like a weird, show-biz-adjacent side-gig has come to mean the world to me! It will be a joy to spend the holidays with these folks!"

More information can be found at www.PajamaCastParty.com.

The new episode will air on Monday, December 14 at 8pm ET.

View the show here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHqj_GZ-us4

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