Jim Caruso, Billy Stritch, and Jane Monheit Offer Thanksgiving-Week Show
Jim Caruso, Billy Stritch, and Jane Monheit will present Hollywoodland: Songs From the Silver Screen during Thanksgiving week. The Birdland show, running from November 23-27, will include many favorite Hollywood tunes such as "Let’s Misbehave" and "Over the Rainbow." All performances will feature Rick Montalbano on drums and Neal Miner on bass.
The idea for Hollywoodland came about, according to Caruso, because of the success of A Swinging Birdland Christmas, which he, Stritch, and Klea Blackhurst have been performing for several holiday seasons. "Birdland owner Gianni Valenti asked Billy and I if we’d like to do a Thanksgiving run of a show with Jane Monheit," said Caruso. "Since she’s one of our all-time favorite vocalists, we jumped at the chance!" In explanation of the Tinsel Town theme, Caruso quipped, "There just aren’t that many Thanksgiving carols to choose from."
Hollywoodland will feature a slew of beloved songs, but obviously Caruso, Stritch, and Monheit won't be able to include every Hollywood hit. According to Stritch, the trio was up to the arduous task of selecting their favorites. "Jane has always been drawn to Judy Garland and the great torch singers, and Jim is a devout Fred-head…anything Astaire makes him happy! I’ve always loved the swinging standards from the MGM songbook," Stritch said. "After we each made a list of about three hundred favorite songs, we edited it down to an appropriate amount."
Caruso and Stritch also have plans to stage A Swinging Birdland Christmas again this December. The performances will feature Klea Blackhurst and Jane Monheit, and will run from December 21-25. According to Caruso, there will be some 2014 surprises as well as some holiday favorites: "Each year, we learn some new songs, and dig out some tried-and-true arrangements," he said.
For tickets to Hollywoodland: Songs From the Silver Screen, click here.
For a taste of Birdland's holiday performances, check back next week to see clips from Hollywoodland: Songs From the Silver Screen.
