Christine Pedi, Cast Party, and a FABULOUS upcoming weekend!

Hey all! So, I left off on Monday when I was planning to catch Christine Pedi's show at the Metropolitan Room on Monday evening. Boy, am I glad I did. It was as close to flawless a show I've seen all year - and anyone who knows me knows I see a LOT of shows! Entertaining? You betcha! The room was filled to the brim, and the anticipation from the audience was palpable...and not only didn't she disappoint, she went way above and beyond what I'd expected. As I mentioned in my previous post, I've been impressed for a while by her uncanny impressions of various divas...so I expected the show to be a lot of that. Which would have been fine...but what it ended up being was a lot of Christine - who happens to be an extremely talented performer all on her own! She did include "the ladies," most notably in a rather schizoid version of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going." Included in the song (and I may have missed a few!) were Ethel Merman, Julie Andrews, Carol Channing, Christine Ebersole (as Edie Beale!), Rosie O'Donnell, Liza Minelli, and Bernadette Peters! Wow! A true tour de force! Other fun moments included "Patti Lupone as Eliza Doolittle," "Barbra" singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" (very dramatically), and a hilarious spoof of "I Dreamed a Dream." I was expecting to laugh, which I did - a lot. What I wasn't expecting was to be touched - which I was when Christine described her love for Judy Garland, and how she remembered seeing a double bill of "Meet Me In St. Louis" and "The Harvey Girls" at the old Regency Theater...which she followed by singing "The Boy Next Door" - not as Judy, but as herself. Also very touching was her "Mama, A Rainbow," which she sang for her mother, who happened to be present. Sadly, that was the last show of her current run, but if and when she brings this show back, I would highly recommend catching it!
After Christine's show, I headed over to Birdland for Cast Party - of course! Sometimes, I really think my body is on automatic pilot on Monday nights! This particular Cast Party was a lot of fun, because Jim Caruso was back hosting for the first time in a month, and Billy Stritch was at the piano...ah, just like old times! Jim and Billy had been touring with Liza (yes, THE Liza), so I guess they had a pretty good excuse for missing a few Cast Parties...but, that being said, it was great to have them back! Monday evening seemed to be a particularly good Cast Party - lots and lots of talented folks! Harmony Keeney was there with her silky voice and smooth jazz stylings, Kristen Sargeant lit up the stage with "My Blue Heaven," Michael Winther delivered a touching "Rainbow Connection," and there was a fantastic duo called The Sourpatch Kids who brought the house down with their "This Little Light of Mine!" Lots of fun! There were so many other talented people there, but those were some of my favorites!
Looking forward to the weekend, I'm getting so excited! First up, it's the 17th Anniversary Party for Cabaret Hotline at 7 p.m. at the Metropolitan Room. Featuring an all-star lineup of performers to pay tribute to Stu Hamstra and his dedication to the cabaret world, it's bound to be a blast! Then at 10 p.m. at the Metropolitan Room, it's "Metrojam," which I've never been to before, but I'm told it's another open mike night, but with featured singers set ahead of time. Featured tomorrow night are three of my friends/fellow singers, Sue Matsuki and the aforementioned Kristen Sargeant and Harmony Keeney - should definitely be a good time! Then on Saturday night at 8 p.m. Miles Phillips will be reprising his critically acclaimed show, "Specific Overtures," also at the Metropolitan Room! I missed this show the first time around, and have been kicking myself ever since, because SO many people have told me how fantastic it is. Having heard Miles sing, and knowing what an intelligent, insightful performer he is, I can hardly wait to see the show for myself!
THEN, on Sunday, it's ME ME ME!! I'll be reprising MY show, "A Hint of Rosemary: The Songs of Rosemary Clooney at 7 p.m." And guess where that is? Yep, the Metropolitan Room! So really, what I'm saying, is bring a cot and set up camp at the Metropolitan Room this weekend, because they've got some AWESOME entertainment lined up! If I do say so myself...:)
That's about it for now...check back next week for the report on all of the happenings this weekend!