Michele Lee, Seth Sikes & More Set for 54 Below This Week

By: Jun. 08, 2015
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This week at 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

THE TOXIC AVENGER IN CONCERT, June 8 at 7PM:

The Toxic Avenger, winner of the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical, comes to 54 Below for this special one-night-only concert reunion, featuring cast members from all of its incarnations (Off-Broadway, Alley Theatre, George Street Playhouse). Featuring a wailin' rock score by David Bryan, of Bon Jovi fame, this comical musical has something for everyone to enjoy! It's a charming love story and laugh-out-loud musical that has it all - an unlikely hero, his beautiful girlfriend, a corrupt New Jersey mayor and guys who play... well... bullies, mobsters, old ladies, and stiletto-wearing back-up singers. In an attempt to clean up New Jersey's most polluted town, our hero Melvin is dumped into a vat of radioactive toxic waste, only to reemerge as The Toxic Avenger. Our new hero is now a seven-foot mutant freak with superhuman strength and a heart as big as Newark. He's out to save New Jersey, end global warming, and woo the blind librarian in town. It's a toxic love story with an environmental twist! The Toxic Avenger will leave audiences laughing in the aisles as it rocks the house. The concert will feature a very special appearance by writers Joe DiPietro and David Bryan, who will perform an acoustic Toxie song LIVE! Featuring: Constantine Maroulis, Nancy Opel, Antoine L. Smith, Mitch Jarvis, Mara Davi and more. $35-45 cover charge. $75 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.

DANIEL QUADRINO, June 8 at 9:30PM:

After a sold-out solo concert debut this spring, Broadway favorite, and former Newsie and Lost Boy Daniel Quadrino makes a triumphant return to 54 Below. Known for his pure tone, charming song interpretation, and effortless pop-rock styling, Daniel will be sharing some of his original songs - new and old - as well as exciting NEW covers of the pop classics and current hits that inspire him. When Quadrino steps into the spotlight, this is one musical coming-of-age you will NOT want to miss! Daniel can currently be seen in Wicked on Broadway. In December of 2014 Quadrino made his network television debut in NBC's "Peter Pan Live!" as "Bunting," one of the Lost Boys. He also recently played "Albert" in the Broadway cast of Disney's Newsies, and made his debut in the 2009 revival of Bye Bye Birdie. He is a proud graduate of Pace University. The evening will be music directed and produced by Benjamin Rauhala, and will feature David Cinquegrana on the guitar, Justin Goldner on the bass, Jeremy Yaddaw on the drums, and Rauhala on the piano. $25 cover charge. $45 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.

SPRING & SUMMER: THE SPRING AWAKENING CAST REUNION, June 9 at 7PM, 9:30PM & 11:30PM:

For one night only, cast members from the Broadway and touring companies of Spring Awakening will reunite on the stage of 54 Below. Come see them perform a variety of different musical styles and maybe share some behind-the-scenes anecdotes from their time with the show! (NOTE: This is not a presentation of the musical or its songs.) The 7pm show will feature cast members from the 1st national tour including: Krystina Alabado (American Idiot), Christy Altomare (Mamma Mia!), Julie Benko (Les Miserables), Jake Epstein (Beautiful), Ben Fankhauser (Newsies), Kayla Foster, Sarah Hunt (The Last Ship), Anthony Lee Medina (STARZ's "Flesh and Bone"), Ben Moss (Brooklynite), Krista Pioppi (NYMF's For Tonight), Perry Sherman (Next to Normal National Tour), Claire Sparks, Lucas Wells (NYMF's Marry Me), and more. The 9:30pm & 11:30pm show will feature cast members from Broadway including: Blake Daniel (Hello Again), Emma Hunton (Wicked National Tour), Caitlin Kinnunen (Bridges of Madison County), Lilli Cooper (Wicked), Brian Charles Johnson (American Idiot), Eryn Murman (5j Barrow), Zach Reiner-Harris, Alexandra Socha (Fun Home), Phoebe Strole ("Glee"), Jenna Ushkowitz ("Glee"), Remy Zaken (Brooklynite), Gabe Violett, Music directed by Charity Wicks and Producedby Shoshana Feinstein. $40-55 cover charge. $80-85 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.

THE JOHN MALINO FAMILY BAND, June 10 at 7PM:

TRAVELING SONGS & FAR AWAY PLACES, John Malino Family Band is back by popular demand for one performance only!Soulful singer and guitarist John Malino returns to 54 Below with his 15-year-old daughter Sarah and 12-year-old son Buster. They will be celebrating traveling songs and far away places.John Malino has played from coast to coast and across the world, from Birdland and the Kennedy Center to the Santa Monica Pier and beyond. In his 20 years as a bandleader, Malino has played small nightclubs and grand inaugural balls.Malino began his musical career as a rocker, playing clubs all over NYC - from CBGB to Danceteria - and touring Asia. He has shared the stage with jazz legend Lionel Hampton, and performed a duet tribute to the Rat Pack with actor Keith David; Sax great David Sanborn has played on Malino's original tune, "If I Had a Genie." Acclaimed by the press as a "velvet-voiced baritone," the multi-talented Malino has often been compared to Harry Connick Jr. and Frank Sinatra.Now, John's kids have begun to create their own special magic. So bring the whole family, and celebrate the urge to roam to places we've been and places we dream about. Let the Malino Family Band take you on a journey for an hour or so, and make new memories with us. $25-35 cover charge. $55 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.

SETH SIKES SINGS JUDY GARLAND ON HER BIRTHDAY, June 10 at 9:30PM:

"I told you recently about a young man, Seth Sikes, who has appeared at the NYC nightspot 54 Below, singing the songs of Judy Garland. I went off to see him last week and couldn't have been more charmed. He's young and handsome and enthusiastic. He doesn't try to duplicate her sound. Sikes has boundless energy and a true, strong voice, with just the right amount of throb and drive and melancholy. The place was packed." -Liz Smith. To celebrate Judy Garland's 93rd birthday, Seth Sikes returns to 54 BELOW to perform his critically-acclaimed show, Seth Sikes Sings Judy Garland, an evening of Garland's most popular songs. Sikes has sold out his previous three appearances at the nightclub. Best known in the theater as an Assistant Director (on shows like The Nance, Tribes, and Pageant), Sikes takes the stage himself with a seven-piece band to recount how Garland captivated him as a young boy in Paris, Texas, and to sing some of the legend's greatest hits. The evening was co-conceived by Tony Winner Lisa Lambert and directed by Eric Gililland. Orchestrations are by Matt Aument, and the Music Director is Gary Adler. "Sikes's voice is hardy, and he can belt out key musical phrases with impressive vivacity." -BistroAwards.com. "A fun, emotional night of songs. He sings with energy and enthusiasm, his excitement spilling through every note." -CenterOnTheAisle.com. $25-35 cover charge. $65 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.

MICHELE LEE, NOBODY DOES IT LIKE ME, THE MUSIC OF CY COLEMAN, June 11, 12 & 13 at 7PM:

Cy Coleman once said, "Michele Lee is a surefire powerhouse performer. She embraces a lyric like nobody can." Following her acclaimed 54 Below debut in 2014, this all-new show finds the stunning Michele Lee making a rare appearance in New York for three nights only. Ms. Lee's new concert spotlights the music of the legendary Cy Coleman, including songs like "Nobody Does it Like Me" and "It's Not Where You Start" from her Tony-nominated performance in the musical Seesaw, along with other magnificent work and some surprises from Coleman's songbook. In celebration of Coleman's life and music, Michele's shows will coincide with what would have been his 86th birthday. One highlight of the new show will be Michele's interpretation of Broadway's lead female character found in many Coleman musicals. Using a medley of his compositions including "Big Spender", "Rules of the Road", I've Got Your Number" and "I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out Of My Life", Ms. Lee presents, "a loveable woman with a charitable heart." The show will also feature Coleman favorites "The Best Is Yet To Come," "Witchcraft" and others, from Sweet Charity to City of Angels and beyond. A multiple Emmy and Tony-nominated actor, Michele Lee starred in CBS's Knots Landing, as well as the Broadway blockbusters How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Seesaw, and Tale of the Allergist's Wife. Michele is the consummate "knock 'em dead" entertainer who enthralls audiences, from stories that tickle the funny-bone to ballads that cut deep into the soul. With a brilliant quintet led by Musical Director extraordinaire, Ron Abel, Ms. Lee's engagement at 54 Below, in celebration of Cy Coleman's birthday, will be a fantastic night of flat out fun and stories for the ages. 40-50 cover charge. $85-90 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.

BILLY LEWIS JR. & CAT STEPHANI, June 11 at 9:30PM:

Join Billy Lewis Jr. ("Glee") and his very special guest (and cousin) Cat Stephani (Janis - One Night with Janis) as they unleash an evening of unabashed classic rock and roll. Expect to hear a musical story of the classics that from an early age (because they have incredibly cool families that exposed them to exceptional music), influenced and helped sculpt them into the unique live performers they are today. Backed by a ferocious rock band led by Musical Director Michael Thomas Murray, the crowd can expect to hear bold renditions of some of the most influential artists of all time including Led Zeppelin, The Who, Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, Joe Cocker, and many more. Billy Lewis Jr. is a NYC based singer/songwriter/actor who has just returned from LA where he filmed the 6th and final season of the popular series "Glee," as new character "Mason McCarthy." Previously, Billy has been featured in the National tours of We Will Rock You, Hair, and Spring Awakening. In July of 2014 Billy released his debut EP of original music. He is currently heading back to the studio in NYC, with a killer creative team crafting the next phase of his recording career as an independent original artist. Cat Stephani is a Brooklyn based song writer and front lady of the indie folk group 'cat cat cat.' Before growing up and moving to New York she wrote and directed many a play starring Billy Lewis and her other reluctant cousins in her aunt and uncles living rooms. After years on the stage, Janis Joplin taught Cat to sing the blues when she originated the role of Janis in One Night With Janis Joplin at Portland Center Stage in 2011. $25-35 cover charge. $60 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.

DANIELLE HOPE, June 12 at 9:30PM:

Back by popular demand! After a thrilling and successful solo debut in London's West End and additional concerts through the UK, Danielle Hope made her sold-out 54 Below debut this past winter. Now she's back for another revelatory evening of song, to celebrate the release of her new Live at 54 Below album! The evening will feature a celebration of music including performances of songs from shows that have shaped her career so far, West End favorites and some very special new material - and, some very special Broadway guests. Danielle started her career, making her professional Debut as Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz at the London Palladium alongside Michael Crawford after capturing the hearts of the nation and winning BBC's smash hit television series Over The Rainbow against 9000 girls. She then went on to star as Eponine in the West End production of Les Miserables at The Queens theatre. Since then, she has played Cathy in The Last Five Years (Greenwich Theatre and The Warren Theatre) and is currently touring the UK as the Narrator in the new revival tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Danielle released a single of the song "Over the Rainbow" in aid of the BBC performing arts fund and prostate cancer UK and The Concrete Jungle international studio cast recording. Danielle has performed at the Royal Variety Performance and also for the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace, presented at the Children's BAFTA's, and judged at the Mercury Musical Developments Awards, Stephen Sondheim Society competition, and Stiles and Drewe best new song prize. In June 2014 she debuted her first London one woman concert at the Delfont Room at the Prince of Wales Theatre. $25-35 cover charge. $70 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.

FISHBOWL COLLECTIVE: SINK OR SWIM, June 12 at 11:30PM:

The Fishbowl Collective, made up of Muhlenberg College Alumni, presents their first concert at 54 Below, Sink or Swim. In this evening of song, members of the Collective will sing about life beyond "the fishbowl," where the water can be rough, where the current can be strong, and where sometimes you can catch the perfect wave. Featuring: Rachel Abbate, Jennifer Apple, Erica Cenci, Carly Friedlander, Phil Haas, Monica Hanofee, Sarah Hutchison, Dana Iannuzzi, Kennedy Kanagawa, Rachel Kaufman, Wesley MacBeth, Sara Newman, Emily Phillips, Jenny Piersol, George Psomas, Emily Spadaford and Joseph Spiotta. $10 cover charge. $30 premium seating. $20 food and beverage minimum or two drinks.

EDITH PIAF: AN ALL-STAR CELEBRATION, June 13 at 9:30PM:

Edith Piaf was more than the greatest female entertainer France ever produced; she was one of the 20th Century's most famous female singers - an international star! She was also the embodiment of passion - of love, loss, and unquenchable spirit. Piaf left behind a legacy of hit songs that will be performed in her honor at 54 Below by some of New York's most acclaimed performers. Come hear and experience the searing power and towering passion of Piaf's greatest hits such as "Non, je ne regrette rien" (1960), "Hymne à l'amour" (1949), "Milord" (1959), "La Foule" (1957), "L'Accordeioniste"(1955), "Padam ... Padam ..." (1951), and, of course, "La Vie en Rose" (1946), among many others. Imagine, she was born exactly one week after Frank Sinatra came into this world. What a week that was. And what a night June 13th will be as we pay homage to the memory, the music, and the spirit of Edith Piaf! EDITH PIAF: An All-Star Centennial Celebration will be performed by award-winning Broadway and nightclub Stars, and it will be produced, written, and hosted by New York impresario Scott Siegel, who has created more than 100 major concerts in venues such as Town Hall and Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has produced, written, and directed for Michael Feinstein, and he is the creator/writer/host of the critically acclaimed Broadway by the Year series at Town Hall (now in its 15th season). Featuring performances by: Carole J. Bufford, Maxine Linehan, Gay Marshall, Molly Pope, Marni Rice and more. Music Direction by Ross Patterson. $30-40 cover charge. $70 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.

GIRL + FRIEND: ILANA & ASHLEY, June 13 at 11:30PM:

Frenemies. Besties. Best bitches. BFF's. Female friendships run deep and intense. They have all the closeness and drama of something in between romance and family, and yet their complexities are frequently overlooked. Ilana Gabrielle (Coming: A Rock Musical of Biblical Proportions) and Ashley Griffin (creator of the pop culture phenomenon Forever Deadward) explore the dualities of these profound relationships through the reclaiming of beloved songs and by showcasing new material. Music direction by Drew Wutke. $15 cover charge. $35 premium seating. $20 food and beverage minimum or two drinks.

LIBERTY: A NEW MUSICAL, CAST ALBUM RELEASE, June 14 at 7PM:

Come celebrate the launch of the brand new cast album of Liberty: A Monumental New Musical with the cast in concert at 54 BELOW. Featuring Abigail Shapiro (How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Shapiro Sisters: Live Out Loud) plays the title role in Liberty: A Monumental New Musical. Liberty also features Emma Rosenthal (Brigadoon) as "Emma Lazurus," Ben McHugh (Mamma Mia!) as "Walker," Adinah Alexander (Kinky Boots) as "Moscowitz / Schuyler," Tom Souhrada (Mary Poppins) as "McKay / Pulitzer," Ryan Duncan (Shrek) as "Goodleaf," C. Mingo Long (South Pacific) as "Samuel," and Andrew DiTusa as "Giovanni." Liberty: A Monumental New Musical features a book and lyrics by Dana Leslie Goldstein with music by Jon Goldstein and tells the story of a determined, young French immigrant who arrives alone in New York Harbor in 1884. The powerful, sweeping new musical follows Liberty as she struggles to find her place in the ever- evolving country she's come to symbolize. Liberty: A Monumental New Musical was adapted from original material by Dana Leslie Goldstein, Jon Goldstein, and Robert Bruce McIntosh. $25-35 cover charge. $70 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.



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