As 2025 comes to an end, we’re digging back into our archives to revisit some of our favorite stories of the year. See them all here.
“Hello!” I heard the greeting echo through the empty performance space and looked up to see Julie Cascioppo waving to me from a balcony above the stage like a princess atop a castle. We had arranged via email to meet at the stage inside the historic Seattle building where she resides. I, however, was not expecting her to literally live backstage.
I first became aware of Julie Cascioppo when I was just 4 years old, scavenging for hors d’oeuvres at my mother’s holiday work party. Cascioppo, who was hired to perform at the event, towered over me in red stilettos and a festive ensemble that reminded me of the 1997 Happy Holidays Barbie I had at home. A generous coat of Revlon’s Fire & Ice lipstick framed her infectious grin. Having been too young to spell, I thought that surely her name was “Jewel-y” because she was so dazzling and her outfit was encrusted with jewels. With the theatrical flair of a neighbor on Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Cascioppo confidently belted a jazz tune for the crowd of hairdressers and estheticians. I blushed, thinking, “Wow, that is the most glamorous woman I have ever seen.” This feeling came back when I entered her apartment 25 years later.
