Photos: Jim Caruso's Cast Party Continues To Celebrate Talent!

Now in it's triumphant 20th year, "Jim Caruso's Cast Party" continues to be a wildly popular Open Mic Night/Variety Show bringing Broadway glitz and urbane wit to the legendary Birdland in New York City every Monday night.

This past week was no different, and a wide variety of musical performers were eager to entertain the sold-out house. Irish singer/songwriter Declan O'Rourke serenaded the audience, Grammy nominee Crystal Lewis (Nickelodeon's "Roadhouse") showed off her chops, David Maiocco glittered as Liberace, folk singer Christine Lavin brought laughs, cabaret legend Sharon McKnight belted, and Gabrielle Stravelli was heard swinging her way into everyone's hearts! Of course, the Cast Party Symphony Orchestra (Billy Stritch on piano, Steve Doyle on bass and Daniel Glass on drums) accompanied the crew with musical brilliance, as host Jim Caruso kept the constant three-ring circus energized.

As always, Kevin Alvey was there to photograph the fun!

At Cast Party, showbiz superstars hit the stage alongside up-and-comers, serving up jaw-dropping music and general razzle-dazzle. It's the ultimate spot to mix and mingle with show folk and the people who love them! Showman Jim Caruso guides the entire affair with razor-sharp humor and the unbridled enthusiasm of an uber-fan. Musical director Billy Stritch holds court at the ivories, along with Steve Doyle on bass and Daniel Glass on drums. 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. If you have a voice, a dream, and some sheet music, your Cast Party moment awaits.

Caruso and Stritch have taken the show on the road, celebrating talent in London, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin, Dallas, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, the Hamptons, Provincetown, Miami, Orlando and Delray Beach, as well as special all-star events at The Town Hall and Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan.

Cast Party has been honored with four BroadwayWorld Awards, a MAC Award, Bistro Award, and a Nightlife Award.

The New York Times called Cast Party "show business heaven," the Wall Street Journal claimed it is "the gold standard of open mic nights," and Time Out New York exclaimed "this Party is a vital pulse point of the musical theater bloodstream."

Visit CastPartyNYC.com for more information.

Photo Credit: Kevin Alvey

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