Photo Flash: Lisa Lambert, Julia Johanos and More in Jim Caruso's Cast Party's 'Mentor Mondays' at Birdland

Jim Caruso's Cast Party, Manhattan's 'extreme' open mic, is the place for a monthly event called MENTOR MONDAYS, which pairs up-and-coming singers and composers with established artists to create a featured performance for the historic Birdland stage. The segment is presented by Trevor McQueen. Scroll down for photos from the concert!

Last week's MENTOR MONDAYS segment celebrated Lisa Lambert, the Tony-winning lyricist of The Drowsy Chaperone, who was paired with Julia Johanos, a recent Musical Theater graduate from Cincinnatti College of Music. Matt Aument accompanied at the piano. MENTOR MONDAYS gives emerging young performers the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to collaborate with some of New York's most talented musical theater songsmiths, including Adam Guettel, Lisa Lambert, Frank Wildhorn, Amanda Green, John Bucchino and Georgia Stitt, as well as singers Jane Monheit and Billy Porter.

Julia Johanos originally hails from Louisville, CO. Most recently, Julia was seen in the New York Premiere of JACK: A Musical Drama on the life of JFK at The York Theatre. Other recent credits include Maureen in Rent (The Palace Theatre), Vivienne in Legally Blonde (Music Theater of Wichita), Serena in Legally Blonde (Stages St. Louis and The Palace Theatre), Laurey in Oklahoma! (CCM), and summer seasons with Rocky Mountain Repertory Theater and Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. Julia is a Cincinatti Conservatory of Music graduate with a B.F.A. in Musical Theater.

Lisa Lambert's stage credits include The Drowsy Chaperone (2006 Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Awards); Stars of David; and the upcoming Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day. Film and TV work includes SLINGS & ARROWS; SKIPPY'S RANGERS: THE SHOW THEY NEVER GAVE; PIPPI LONGSTOCKING; HIGHWAY 61; and PETE'S CHRISTMAS.

MENTOR MONDAYS is presented by Trevor McQueen, a recent graduate of Carnegie Mellon University. Trevor made his Broadway debut as Little Jake in the revival of Annie Get Your Gun with Bernadette Peters. Other credits include Prior in Angels in America (CMU), Fiddler on the Roof, Annie, and Sunset Boulevard with Liz Callaway (Pittsburgh CLO). He recently made his Birdland debut hosting Jazz Party, and has been consistently featured at Jazz at Andy's at the Fairmont Hotel in Pittsburgh, headlining with such jazz greats as legendary drummer Roger Humphries.

For the past ten years, Jim Caruso's Cast Party has been the spot for the Broadway, jazz and cabaret communities to celebrate each other with impromptu performances. Every Monday night at 9:30, Caruso, along with Billy Stritch and the Cast Party Symphony Orchestra, host a three-hour open mic/variety show at Birdland that has been called "musical come-what-mayhem!"

Photo Credit: Seth Walters

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