Jim Caruso was recently seen co-starring with Kathie Lee Gifford on Showtime Television in Personal Assistant, which was written and directed by Charles Busch. Jim also co-starred on the Nostalgia Network variety sit-com, Café DuArt for two seasons. As a singer, Jim has won four MAC Awards and two BackStage Magazine Bistro Awards for his sold-out New York runs at Arci’s Place, The Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, The Russian Tea Room, Carnegie Hall, Caroline’s Comedy Club and Birdland. He has also performed in runs at the Cinegrill and Gardenia in Los Angeles, The Vic Theater and Davenport’s in Chicago, Libby’s in Atlanta, the Colony Palm Beach Hotel in Florida and the Connaught Room in London. Caruso guest-hosted "Broadway On Broadway 2000" in Times Square for a crowd of 100,000 theater fans, hosted the 2000 MAC Awards at Town Hall in Manhattan and co-hosted the 2003 and 2004 Drama Desk Award webcasts. His debut recording, "Caruso Live and In Person" was released on the LML Music label, and within two weeks, went to number one on both the album and singles charts at Outvoice.com. Most recently, he was featured in a Tribute to Kander & Ebb, backed by the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Caruso was the founding member of the nationally acclaimed, award-winning jazz vocal and comedy trio, Wiseguys. After performing in an all-star Inaugural extravaganza, they were invited to sing at President Clinton’s First State Dinner at the White House in an evening hosted by Lauren Bacall. Wiseguys were also special guests of Liza Minnelli in her sold-out Las Vegas, Atlantic City, United Nations and Central Park concerts. The trio performed in concert at the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, and in "the big room" with Rosemary Clooney. As a writer, Jim was consulting editor and writer for the largest selling InTheater Magazine in history, and has contributed to InStyle Magazine and Theatermania.com. He has produced and booked television talk and entertainment programs like "Jim J. & Tammy Faye" and "Fox After Breakfast," and was a Field Producer for E! Entertainment Television, working on "Celebrity Profiles" and covering the 2002 Tony Awards. For the past two years, he has hosted a weekly Monday night showbiz bash called "Jim Caruso’s Cast Party," which was honored with a New York Nightlife Award. Cast Party is now a weekly web-radio show, heard Fridays and Tuesdays on BroadwayWorld.com. Please visit http://www.castpartynyc.com for more information.

 

When did you know you wanted to be a singer? Did singing factor heavily in your early performing ambitions, or was it part and parcel of a dream of Broadway—acting, singing, dancing?
I was a big fan of variety television when I was growing up. I studied Carol Burnett, Sonny & Cher, and yes…Donny & Marie. I knew I wanted to entertain people, and whether it was through music or comedy made no difference to me. I performed in community theater as a kid in Pittsburgh, and asked for an agent when I was about 7 years old, which terrified my parents. Anything mildly related to showbusiness fascinated me…you name it and I did it. I was Jimbo the Clown all through high school, annoying children of all ages with magic, ventriloquism, music and balloon animals. I was a dancing tampon for the Kimberly-Clark Company. I performed as a mime in malls. (No one pulls an imaginary rope like me.) My first club act starred me as the singing sensation, and my mother at the piano. We were called 'Son Of A Bitch,” and we sang in fish restaurants all over Dallas, Texas. I wore all black and sang Edit Piaf songs. We were like the Judds on lithium. Happily, the singing and the funny won out over the mime and a quasi-career was born.

When did you first find the New York cabaret scene as an outlet for your work?
JIM CARUSO: I had a vocal trio called Wiseguys, and we started to have a modicum of success in the late 1980's, so we high-tailed it to NYC. We played a wonderful club in the Village called “Eighty-Eights” quite a few times, and all of a sudden became the act to see. I remember one specific night where every single table had a celebrity…Liza Minnelli, Hal Prince, Bob Mackie, Margaret Whiting, Downtown Julie Brown and Adam Ant. No lie. It was insane and we couldn't believe it was happening. Because of that buzz, we went on to the Russian Tea Room, The Ballroom, Steve McGraw's, Michael's Pub, and The Oak Room at The Algonquin Hotel. We went on the road with Liza, sang for Clinton at the White House, and performed in concert twice at Carnegie Hall. We got slicker, our tuxedos got sharper, but still I couldn't keep three singers together. It was like Menudo. Wiseguys would come and go, and at one point, everyone in New York was talking about the act because everyone had been in it. After ten years, the group broke up. I got a real job in television, working on “Jim J & Tammy Faye” in Los Angeles, then “Fox After Breakfast” in New York. I told myself that I didn't miss singing. But I did. When the Fox show was over, I went back to “Eighty-Eights” and did my first solo show, and haven't stopped since.

What is the Cast Party, and how did it come about?
Cast Party started, as all good things do, as a fluke. I had been working with the afore-mentioned Liza Minnelli on and off for a few years. I'd opened for her, helped her produce Minnelli On Minnelli at the Palace Theatre, and helped her organize her life. We would throw parties at her house every Saturday night, and those parties all ended up around the piano. It was some cast, too. Barbra Streisand, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell, Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Ben Vereen, Steve Sondheim, Cy Coleman, Barbara Cook, Michael Feinstein, Burton Lane, George Hamilton, Esther Williams…everyone entertaining each other at the baby grand. Then there would be 'the kids.' Billy Stritch, Ann Hampton Callaway, The Tonics, Sally Mayes, Daisy Prince, John Bucchino, and I would show our stuff to a crowd of fancy people who had never heard of any of us, but were seemingly enthralled. It was out of a movie. Anyway, Liza remarried and those parties stopped. I was sad about that, so I decided to throw a party at a club that happened to have a baby grand. Everyone came, ate, drank and was extremely merry. We did it again the next week. And the next. That was over three years ago. Cast Party has changed a lot over the years. I like to say that it's an open-mic for the Broadway, cabaret, jazz, folk, country and comedy communities. Is that all-encompassing enough?

You’ve created so many shows and performance groups over the years—why did you decide to do an open mic? That’s a concept that’s usually seen at rowdy piano bars, or downtown pop/rock songwriting venues— how did you get the vision that it could succeed in a more upscale environment?
JIM CARUSO: I'd like to say that I knew it was my calling, but truthfully, I didn't plan on hosting an open-mic extravaganza. It kind of makes sense, though. I'm a gigantic fan of great talent, and have always loved hawking my friends' professional wares. It's become such a community-minded event, too, which I'm so proud of. Cast Party is a great place to sell shows, because the audience actually goes out and buys tickets to stuff. We've celebrated Broadway and Off Broadway shows, movies, benefits, recordings, book releases, awards, birthdays, openings and closings. The reason it's at Birdland is because my friend Hilary Kole, who happens to be a brilliant jazz singer, was working there. She told the owner, Gianni Valente, about our weekly event that was drawing great crowds, but that we'd been tossed out on our can when our home base closed. I was shocked that he was interested in speaking with me…considering that some of our singers couldn't swing if they had a rope. He gave us a month, it was a crazy success, and now, it's home.

You call it an open mic for the Broadway, cabaret, and jazz communities—and you have had a professional toe in each of those pools. Do you think they are distinct worlds, and is Cast Party one of the only opportunities for cross-over?
Honestly, I think good entertainment is good entertainment. The word cabaret to me is a type of venue, not a type of music. Certainly no one seems to mind when my friend Dave Koz plays jazz sax, or when Christine Lavin sings one of her original folk songs. My iPod is filled with everyone from Wynonna to Bobby Short to James Blunt. Why shouldn't my open-mic be the same way?

What makes a great Broadway singer?
JIM CARUSO: I'm not sure there is a definitive Broadway sound. Brent Barrett, John Tartaglia, Kristin Chenoweth and Eden Espinosa all seem to be doing just fine not sounding like each other. A knowledge of the voice and how to best use it 8 times a week would seem to be key.

What makes a great jazz singer?
Again, jazz singers come in all flavors. But swing! Please swing!

And what makes a great cabaret singer?
You gonna keep asking this, aren't you? One thing a cabaret singer needs that others might not, is a yearning to tell a story with a lyric. When it's just you and a piano, please don't sing at me. You have to work a little harder to engage me, because there's not much else to catch my attention. You might also want to have a fairly hefty trust fund. Amish people make more money than cabaret singers. Michael Feinstein makes a good living at it. You will probably not.

Besides the amazing star power you’ve brought to Cast Party, with performers like Liza Minnelli and Nathan Lane stopping by to sing a song or two late on a Monday night, what are some of the most memorable performances from non-legends that you’ve seen at Cast Party? What makes performances stand out?
On the legend side, Betty Comden came in one night and asked if she could sing “One Hundred Ways to Lose a Man” from Wonderful Town, which she co-wrote! Could you die? It was historic. Liza sang “Oscar,” which Kander & Ebb wrote when she hosted the Academy Awards in the 70's. She hadn't sung it since and remembered every word. But it's not just the stars who kill. A young Canadian girl came in late one night, literally just off the plane. It was her first night in Manhattan and she was hoping to sing. I didn't really have a slot for her, but she seemed to earnest, so I put her on. She sang “Defying Gravity” from Wicked and the place went nuts…a standing ovation, stomping and cheering. There were tears streaming down her face and I'll never forget it as long as I live.

When I went to a Cast Party a few weeks ago, there were a few very young performers there, ready to get up to the mic. Do you encourage young singers to jump into the pool and play with the big boys at events like yours? What can they learn there?
I guess it depends on the young person. You have to be pretty secure to think you're ready to sing in public, in a great room, with Billy Stritch or Tedd Firth at the concert grand! Happily, the crowd is extremely supportive, even with the occasional not-so-good singer. If you don't feel ready to sing, it sure is a great place to watch and learn from the pros. The fact that it is, indeed, a party and not a show, opens up the possibility of meeting and talking with people who are actually in showbusiness. I would have sold my soul to be there when I was young, and I'm sure a lot of kids feel the same way.

What other advice would you give to young singers who want professional careers?
Opening yourself up to all kinds of entertainment experiences is key. Listen to every kind of singer. Ethel Merman, Steve & Eydie, Placido Domingo, Loretta Lynn, Elvis, Ella Fitzgerald, Thelma Houston, Jack Jones…and become an afficianado. Rent every live concert you can find on dvd. Go see everything you possibly can. Not just Broadway shows. Not just cabaret acts. I'm talking everything. It'll make you smarter and more well-rounded and, let's say it…more interesting.

You’ve put together numerous cabaret acts, and at Actorslife.com we always encourage people to be proactive with their careers and create their own showpieces. What are three important things to think about when putting together a cabaret act?
Know your audience. While you certainly want to exorcise your artistic demons, you still have to entertain. Your parents' friends don't want to hear your Hole medley, and p.s. neither do I. Learn to pace your act. Keep it moving. I say it every week at Cast Party, and blame the fact that it's a party, but it's true in your act, too. No one wants to hear 60-minutes of ballads, no matter who you are. I'm of the opinion that you have to earn a ballad…so look into different tempos. Please. Finally, become your own publicist. You can put together the most brilliant act on the planet, but if no one knows about it, it's a flop. Meet everyone. Get business cards. Create an email address list so big that AOL shuts you down.

How about some pitfalls to avoid?
Pitfalls? Choose not to do any of the above helpful hints.

You’ve recently recorded your first CD, “Caruso Live and in Person”. How important to you think recording is for a singer’s career?
I think it's important to have a cd if you know you're ready to record a cd. Don't throw money away, knowing that you will sell 14 copies and give the rest to friends. Unless you have the afore-mentioned trust fund. Then run to the studio immediately. And call me.

Your web presence is also impressive—in addition to a well-designed, thorough Web site, you now offer a podcast of Cast Party, as well as a streaming radio show on Broadwayworld.com. What advice do you have for performers interested in using all of the tools that the Internet has to offer?
I think you should use whatever is at your disposal to sell yourself as an entertainer. Unless you are so earth-shatteringly brilliant that managers and agents are knocking down your door, you have to learn to beat your own drum. I've watched quite a few folks use Cast Party in the smartest way, by building a community of colleagues, contacts, friends and mentors. Create a community of like-minded folks who will support what you're doing by actually buying tickets to see you. In a brilliant book called “Never Eat Alone,” Keith Ferrazzi says “Invisibility is a fate worse than failure.” You're in charge of your own stardom, so do it up right! Stay on top of the latest internet trends. Create the best website you can. Do a weekly podcast. Offer to write local reviews for a theater website or your school paper. Become ubiquitous! Speaking of that, go to my site, www.jim-caruso.com, check out www.CastPartyNYC.com, and listen to Cast Party - The Radio Show!

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