Jim Caruso’s Cast Party celebrated its 20th anniversary at Birdland last night — and W42ST was there to record the evening.
Since 2003, this event has drawn a sparkling array of talents, from Oscar winners such as Liza Minnelli and Ariana DeBose to recording artists including Ariana Grande and Tony Bennett, plus Broadway stars like Carol Channing and Kristin Chenoweth.
Jim Caruso and team have orchestrated more than 1,040 editions of the Cast Party at Birdland, not to mention countless renditions in major cities across the country and beyond — Los Angeles, Las Vegas, London, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, Dallas, Cleveland, Austin, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Orlando, the Hamptons, Provincetown, even on cruises. Given that each Cast Party features at least 20 performers, this translates to over 20,800 individual performances in New York City alone.
Caruso is a well-known figure in New York’s entertainment circle, a former columnist for W42ST magazine and has been accompanied along the way by his longtime stage partner, pianist Billy Stritch, along with Steve Doyle on bass and Daniel Glass on drums.
Birdland’s owner Gianni Valenti introduced the evening by telling the packed venue: “20 years ago when I met Jim, we sat in the back table discussing the idea of Cast Party and I thought about it and I said, ‘you know what? I think we can do this for a month’ — and look where we are now, 20 years later!”
Paying tribute to Jim’s dedication, Valenti said: “I love Jim Caruso like a brother. I mean, we fight, we love each other, we fight a lot. But I have never been around someone who was as dedicated and as focused as Jim was in creating Cast Party and make it what it was and what it is today.”
One of Cast Party’s prized visitors was Tony Bennett, who died last week. Caruso explained on Instagram: “One night, Tony Bennett showed up at Cast Party with the sole purpose of cheering an incredible vocal group called ‘Mosaic’. I put them on early, so that Tony could see them, and make a quick exit if necessary. Happily, he stayed and stayed, applauding our merry cast of singers who were stunned to see one of their heroes in the house. At one point, I went over and whispered, ‘You don’t want to sing, do you?’ He thanked me and said, ‘No, but I have something to say. If you ever take a break, bring me the cordless.’ You can imagine how quickly he was holding my mic. ‘You kids…’ he shouted in that famous voice, ‘are fabulous…and are keeping the songbook ALIVE!’ It was as good as a song, and we all floated on air for hours.”
Last night’s 20th-anniversary celebration was a vibrant blend of familiar faces and emerging talents. During the evening, Proclamations came from New York’s Mayor Eric Adams, New York State and New York City Council.
Reflecting on the achievement, Caruso had researched what was happening 20 years ago, telling the audience: “In 2003, Beyonce’s first solo album was released, the last Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the assembly line, Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California, it was the final Concorde flight, Italy suffered a countrywide blackout — and we started Cast Party!”
And for those still unclear about what’s been going on for two decades, Caruso said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to explain to you what the hell it is. Cast Party is an open mic night, slash variety show for the Broadway, jazz, cabaret, pop, folk, rock, didgeridoo, tap, jazz, ballet, marching band, ventriloquial, minuet, mariachi, polka and plate spinning communities. These are all things we have had on this stage!” adding. “Oh, and don’t forget the girl who stripped with the hula hoops. She had like 40 hula hoops right as she was disrobing. You can’t believe what we’ve seen. You really can’t!”
