Broadway at the Cabaret - Top 5 Cabaret Picks for April 18-24, Featuring Donna McKechnie, Santino Fontana, and More!

By: Apr. 17, 2016
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Broadway's 40 theatres aren't the only places to catch performances from your favorite stars! Well after Broadway orchestras begin their overtures, ensemble members take their dance breaks, and performers belt out their eleven o'clock numbers, the party continues at various cabaret venues throughout New York City.

Below, BroadwayWorld brings you some cabaret highlights for this week as picked by our theatre editors, including: Bright Star Sings Jeff Blumenkrantz; The Legend of New York By Salzman & Cunningham Featuring Santino Fontana & Laura Osnes; Donna McKechnie: A Visit with Kander & Ebb; 54 Celebrates The Colonial Theatre; and The Girls in White: Songs from the Show.

Click here for BroadwayWorld's Full Cabaret Listings!


Bright Star Sings Jeff Blumenkrantz

Where: Birdland NYC (315 W 44th Street)

When: April 18th at 7:00 PM

Tickets: $30 http://www.birdlandjazz.com/event/1082023-bright-star-sings-jeff-new-york/

The Broadway at Birdland concert series is proud to announce that Tony-nominated composer Jeff Blumenkrantz, currently appearing as "Daryl" in the new Steve Martin/Edie Brickell Broadway musical Bright Star, will be joined by cast mates who will sing his original songs, including Carmen Cusack (Carrie, South Pacific),Dee Hoty (Gigi, Footloose, City of Angels, Will Rogers Follies), Emily Padgett (Side Show, Rock of Ages), Hannah Elless, Paul Alexander Nolan,A. J. Shively, Maddie Shea Baldwin, Allison Briner-Dardenne, Max Chernin,Richard Gatta, Lizzie Klemperer, Williams Michals, Tony Roach, Bill Youmans and a very special appearance by Bright Star co-writer Edie Brickell. In addition to contributing songs to Urban Cowboy, the musical, Jeff is the recipient of the 2011 Fred Ebb Award, as well as commissions from LincolnCenter, Carnegie Hall, and the Guggenheim. His songs have been recorded by Audra McDonald, Sutton Foster, Rebecca Luker, Victoria Clark, and Alysha Umphress, among others. Bright Star is currently playing at Broadway's Cort Theatre.

In addition to contributing songs to Urban Cowboy, the musical, Jeff is the recipient of the 2011 Fred Ebb Award, as well as commissions from Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Guggenheim. His songs have been recorded by Audra McDonald, Sutton Foster, Rebecca Luker, Victoria Clark, and Alysha Umphress, among others. Bright Star begins previews on February 25 that Broadway's Cort Theatre.

Carmen Cusack, Hannah Elless, Dee Hoty, Emily Padgett, Paul Alexander Nolan, A.J. Shively, Maddie Shea Baldwin, Allison Briner-Dardenne, Max Chernin, Richard Gatta, Lizzie Klemperer, William Michaels, Tony Roach, Bill Youmans, and Very Special Guest Appearance by BRIGHT STAR Co-Writer EDIE BRICKELL

Click here for more information.


The Legend of New York, Featuring Santino Fontana and Laura Osnes

Where: 54 Below (254 W 54th Street)

When: April 18th at 7:00 & 9:30 PM

Tickets: $30-75 at http://54below.com/artist/the-legend-of-new-york-by-salzman-cunningham/

Be the first to see The Legend of New York, the new show from Larson Award winners Salzman and Cunningham (I Love You Because, Next Thing You Know). Don't miss this musical comedy myth that celebrates 70s New York in all its grungy glory-featuring an all-star cast and the best band in town: The New York Funk-harmonic. This is the seventies celebration that takes you from Central Park to Times Square to CBGBs to, of course, the legendary Studio 54-just steps away from where it all happened: Feinstein's/54 Below.

Featuring:
Tony Nominee Santino Fontana (Frozen, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Tony Nominee Laura Osnes (Cinderella), Angela Grovey (Newsies), J. Bernard Calloway (Memphis), F. Michael Haynie (Wicked), Karmine Alers (On Your Feet), Ally Bonino, Ben Chavez, Alex Goley, and Josephine Spada.

Music Directed by Kurt Crowley
Directed by John Simpkins

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Donna McKechnie: A Visit with Kander & Ebb

Where: 54 Below (254 W 54th Street)

When: April 19th-22nd at 7:00 PM

Tickets: $50-100 at http://54below.com/artist/donna-mckechnie/

World premiere show! A Visit with Kander and Ebb will feature Donna McKechnie and her special Broadway guests offering a kaleidoscope of classic Broadway songs from the illustrious career of John Kander and Fred Ebb. From well-known standards to rarely performed songs, Kander & Ebb's rousing Broadway songs will be rediscovered and reinterpreted especially for Feinstein's/54 Below.The performance will include numbers from Chicago, Cabaret, Flora The Red Menace, Zorba, The World Goes Round, The Scottsboro Boys, Curtains, 70 Girls 70, and The Act. A special tribute is paid to the last score they wrote together... The Visit.

Donna received the Tony Award and is best known the world over for creating the role of Cassie in A Chorus Line. She is also well-known for her Broadway appearances in State Fair; On the Town; Company; Promises, Promises; and Stephen Sondheim - A Musical Tribute, (which she also choreographed). Donna has received the Fred Astaire Award and the Bistro Award for Outstanding Female Performance, the Los Angeles Drama League Award, as well as nominations for a Mac Award and a Helen Hayes Award.

Featuring special guests Matt Dengler and Emily Mechler.

Music Directed by Ian Herman.

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54 Celebrates The Colonial Theatre

Where: 54 Below (254 W 54th Street)

When: April 19th & 20th at 9:30 PM

Tickets: $35-75 at http://54below.com/artist/54-celebrates-the-colonial-theatre/

Anything Goes. Oklahoma. Follies. La Cage Aux Folles. Those four musicals, plus many others, all got their start at Boston's important Colonial Theatre. Now, as the Colonial is in danger of shutting it doors, Feinstein's/54 Below celebrates the famed venue with an evening of songs and stories, performed by the legends themselves who were lucky enough to grace its stage. 54 Programming Director Jennifer Ashley Tepper will be on hand to share trivia and anecdotes about the theatre that has been host to such legends like Cole Porter, Jerry Herman, and Stephen Sondheim. Expect theatre professionals who tread the boards at the Colonial over several decades all coming together to pay tribute to this important house- and share why it must be made a landmark by the city of Boston!

Featuring:
Clyde Alves (On the Town), George Lee Andrews (A Little Night Music), Ken Billington (Chicago), Jim Brochu (Zero Hour), Todd Buonopane (Cinderella), Rebecca Eichenberger (The Phantom of the Opera), Spence Ford (King of Hearts), Anita Gillette (Cabaret), Amanda Green (High Fidelity), Joe Iconis (Be More Chill), Andrew Leggieri (The Bandstand), Danny Lincoln (The Wizard of Oz), Rob Maitner (Urinetown), Lawrence Merritt (Dear World), Kathleen Monteleone (Hands on a Hardbody), Don Pippin (La Cage Aux Folles), Rebecca Spigelman (Hairspray), Kevin David Thomas (Les Miserables), Sasha Weiss (Jerry Springer: The Opera), Jason SweetTooth Williams (Once Upon A Mattress), and Penny Worth (Chicago).

And Featuring members of Lindsay Mendez and Ryan Scott Oliver's Actor's Therapy NYC:
Roger Dawley, Deidre Donohue, Allison Griffith, Megan Griffith, Michael Hajjar, Jeremy Konopka, Matthew Macfarland, Jennifer Reed, Erin Rice, Cori Stolbun, Sean Switzer, and Sean White.

Produced by Robert Schneider.

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The Girls in White: Songs from the Show

Where: 54 Below (254 W 54th Street)

When: April 22nd at 11:30 PM

Tickets: $15-35 at http://54below.com/artist/the-girls-in-white/

Set in post-depression era Texas, The Girls in White is inspired by a true story about a group of incarcerated women who form a band and become an overnight sensation through a prison-based radio program. In their newfound fame, they dream of being pardoned and set free. A story of hope and redemption,The Girls in White is Chicago meets Orange is the New Black with a country twang. Music by Artie Sievers, Lyrics by Michael Bradley, Direction by Ashley Brooke Monroe, Music Direction by Ryan McCurdy.

Featuring:
Ephie Aardema (Bridges of Madison County), Sydney Blaxill (The Nomad), Michael Cerveris (Fun Home), Josh Davis (Beautiful), Ben Estus (The Book of Mormon), Haley Jones (A Complex Evening), Rebecca Knowles (PINWHEEL!), Bonnie Milligan (Kinky Boots), Lauren Patten (Fun Home), Jacqueline Petroccia (Always....Patsy Cline), and Brittane Rowe (The Mysteries).

With musicians: Ryan McCurdy (Verona Walls) and Erikka Walsh (Once).

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