Press reviews

"Cascioppo is very imposing, in a likeable sort of way. Her flamboyant demeaner is very calculated, and in many ways, it is her schtick. It is equally evident in her comedy as it is in her singing, and is defined differently, as needed. This strategy is what has made her successful.…

She has been a mainstay at downtown's Pink Door for much longer than she cares to remember—she'll admit to 10 years of on-and-off performing, if pressed. There, Cascioppo has strung together a series of lounge-acts featuring a host of outrageous characters in outrageous costumes. Her performances are a delightful mish-mash of song, improvisation, caricature, and glorious tackiness. And in all these things she, like the audeince, gleefully wallows in it.

An evening might include a passive-aggressive modeling instructor or a sex-kitten tour-bus guide. There is, of course, her most famous character Sam Turner, who slinks around the room thrusting his conspicuously-packed spandex pants in the direction of some of the Pink Door's female patrons.

Amidst that, Cascioppo is an honest-to-god chanteuse. Sometimes, her act will be nothing mre than a series of straight-up torch songs. There, every bit of effort that accompanied Sam Turner is eviden in her music.

Such performances have earned her a cult following here in Seattle—not to mention elsewhere. Dance god Mark Morris brought her to New York, where she entertained between the troupe's routines. She performed in Paris for a time, as well as many cities here on the West Coast. Not all locations, however, have received her well: When in Ketchikan, Alaska, one patron, in an ugly fit of incomprehension, shouted at the unconventionally-dressed Cascioppo, "Get that goddamn toaster off your head!"

Steve Hansen,
Queen Anne/Magnolia News:

" Call it cabaret entertainment, call it performance art, call it a fashion statement for the ’90s.… Cascioppo's bright and witty act comes with a cutting, knowing edge, a good deal of wit, and even a few chills when she gets off the stage and confronts her audience face-to-face. You'll laugh, and you'll squirm.…

Cascioppo is an accomplished singer, too, a husky, reedy contralto with range and skill enough to tackle standards, blues and pop hits. She'll even take a fly at "Carmen," complete with bad flamenco flourishes.

In fact, her outstanding voice is a big part of how she puts her bizarre package over so effectively. If it comes as a surprise that someone with a dorky wig can sing so well, that's exactly what Cascioppo is hoping for."

Jeff Pike,
Seattle Times, 19 July 1991

" Julie does Liza Minelli better than the crooning superstar herself."

Seattle's Best Places
(writer unknown)

" She sings sultry songs and delivers panter so subtly tacky that it reeks of intelligent planning."

Village Voice
(writer unknown)

" Rather than sentimentalize emotional dependency, French Kiss satirizes love addiction… and offers some stylish singing and goofy vignettes… Cascioppo really is a skillful dramatic singer."

Joe Adcock
Post-Intelligencer

" With appearances from Paris to Istanbul, Ms. Cascioppo is a passenger on an electronic-age Orient Express of her own devising. She gives the impression, both onstage and off, of a woman to whom a lot of things happen. After an up-close exposure to The Julie Cascioppo Experience, it's impossible not to realize that Julie is an artist who makes things happen. Perhaps the only judgment to safely render is the well-worn phrase, 'She has that effect on people.' The tone of voice it's delivered in is entirely up to the speaker."

Geoge Arthur,
former Post-Intelligencer arts writer

" A cross between Bette Midler and Andy Kaufman"

Tom Scanlon,
Seattle Times, 4 Aug 2000

" Julie dances, sings, acts, plays instruments, She really interacts with the audience a lot. She has a real fan club, a real underground following, because you never know what characters she will pull out."

Ruby Montana,
Greater Seattle magazine, October 1992