Jim Caruso's Cast Party Makes Debut at El Portal Theatre

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party, the wildly popular open mic night, will return to Los Angeles for two very special nights on Thursday and Friday, September 7 and 8, with shows at 7pm.  After dozens of appearances at Feinstein’s at Vitello’s and The Magic Castle, these shows will mark the Party’s debut at El Portal Theatre.  Pianist Billy Stritch will musical direct the impromptu performances from the baby grand

“Jim Caruso’s Cast Party” is a wildly popular weekly Open Mic Night/Variety Show that has brought Broadway glitz and urbane wit to the legendary Birdland in New York City every Monday night since 2003.  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.  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.

For two decades, Caruso and Stritch have taken the show on the road, celebrating talent in London, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin, St. Louis, Minneapolis, 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, two MAC Awards, Bistro Award, and a Nightlife Award.  On the 20th Anniversary of Cast Party at Birdland, Eric Adams, the Mayor of New York City, proclaimed the date “Cast Party Day,” thanks to the show’s “tremendous contributions for our performing arts and nightlife sectors.”

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 and follow us on Instagram at @jimcarusoscastparty.

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party

Thursday and Friday, September 7 & 8, 7pm

El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood

818-508-4200 or ElPortalTheatre.com

Performers interested in singing should email caruso212@aol.com for details

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