Jim Caruso’s Cast Party with Billy Stritch at the Piano will make its Nashville area debut on Saturday, September 7, 8 pm at the Franklin Theatre. The “extreme open mic” takes place at The Franklin Theatre where a cabaret-style night out is enlivened by a hilariously impromptu variety show.
Jim Caruso’s Cast Party is a wildly popular weekly open mic night that has been bringing a sprinkling of Broadway glitz and urbane wit to the legendary Birdland in New York City every Monday night for the past seventeen years. Showbiz superstars hit the stage alongside up-and-comers, serving up jaw-dropping music and general razzle-dazzle. In the past, New York City Party-ers have been thrilled by impromptu performances by Liza Minnelli, Ariana Grande, Tony Bennett, Michael Feinstein, Natalie Cole, Donny Osmond, Carol Channing and more.
Caruso and his crew are compiling talent from the Nashville music community, but the show will also be open to all who show up that night. “Anybody that shows up can try and get on the list; it will be very impromptu. We want it to be star-studded, and we want it to be somebody’s grandmother who sings. That’s just the kind of mix that makes it so fun,” said Caruso.
The buoyant, sharp and charming Caruso guides the entire affair like a bubbly cruise director, musical genius Billy Stritch (Liza Minnelli and Tony Bennett) holds court at the ivories, and the audience is invited to participate in the festivities. Recently, Caruso and Stritch have taken the Party on the road, celebrating talent in London, San Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Austin – and now Franklin, Tennessee.
Jim Caruso made his Broadway debut alongside Liza Minnelli in the Tony Award-winning “Liza’s At The Palace.” He has won six MAC Awards (Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs) for his nightclub appearances, four BroadwayWorld Awards and has performed at Carnegie Hall.Caruso has produced over 800 Broadway at Birdland concerts.
Billy Stritch is one of the premier singer-pianists on the New York and national jazz and cabaret scene. His most recent nightclub act “Billy Stritch Sings the Mel Tormé Songbook” earned rave reviews from the New York critics. Billy is also a multiple award-winner, songwriter and arranger, and his composition “Does He Love You” was recorded by Reba McEntire and Linda Davis. The single reached the number one spot on the Billboard Country chart, winning a Grammy Award and selling over five million copies along the way.
Details about The Franklin Theatre show:
Jim Caruso’s Cast Party with Billy Stritch at the piano
Saturday, September 7 at 8pm
The Franklin Theatre, 419 Main Street, Franklin, TN 37064
Tickets: 615-538-2076 or FranklinTheatre.com
About the Franklin Theatre
The historic Franklin Theatre (Est. 1937) re-opened its doors in 2011 as a state-of-the-art live music venue featuring world-renowned artists, as well as continuing the cherished tradition of showing movies. The theatre’s mission is to create experiences that connect, enrich and inspire patrons, performers and communities.
