Rita Rudner, 54 SINGS BACK TO THE FUTURE & More Set for 54 Below This Week

By: Aug. 17, 2015
Enter Your Email to Unlock This Article

Plus, get the best of BroadwayWorld delivered to your inbox, and unlimited access to our editorial content across the globe.




Existing user? Just click login.

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, visitwww.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

THE DOO WOP PROJECT, August 17 at 7PM & 9:30PM:

The Doo Wop Project, starring leading cast members from the Tony Award-winning Broadway smash Jersey Boys and Motown The Musical, makes its NYC debut for two shows only at 54 Below. The Doo Wop Project is a night of songs mixed with individual stories and references to their upbringings and experiences in the business, particularly backstage at the August Wilson Theatre, home of Jersey Boys, where the idea for the group was conceived four years ago. The 2015 Doo Wop Concert comes to New York following four years of sold out shows touring throughout the United States. The night features classic Doo Wop and the music that was inspired by that sound, honoring songs and groups we hear all the time, but maybe more importantly, some that exist only as a memory or somehow got lost along the way or are now relegated to box sets sold on late-night infomercials. Classic hits by every standard for every generation. This new 2015 concert also features some of the greatest Four Seasons songs, as well as Smokey Robinson hits, performed by Tony nominee Charl Brown from Motown The Musical. In addition, the show features such classic contemporary songs by the likes of Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, and Amy Winehouse. Taking contemporary songs and giving them the Doo Wop spin brings a whole new generation to the wonderful music of Doo Wop. The concert features a full band in addition to such former Jersey Boys cast mates ("Tommy DeVito") Dominic Nolfi, 2013 Tony nominee ("Smokey Robinson") Charl Brown, current "Frankie Valli" Dominic Scaglione Jr, Dwayne Cooper, and former "Valli" John Dias. $30-50 cover charge. $65-80 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.

54 CONCERT LAB, August 18 at 7PM:

54 CONCERT LAB: the concert series where artists hand picked by 54 Below develop new solo concerts bit by bit and draft by draft, culminating in a 20-25 minute piece performed in a showcase for 54 Below staff and other industry panelists. See Concert Lab artists perform short sets and receive feedback from guest panelists. Featuring: Deborah Berenson, Adam Blotner, Jen Eden, Samantha Joy Pearlman, Hannah Kloepfer & Tess Slovis, Sam Perwin, Reji Woods and Emily Goglia. $10 cover charge. $25 premium seating. $20 food and beverage minimum or two drinks.

RSO & LINDSAY MENDEZ'S ACTOR THERAPY, August 18 at 9:30PM:

ACTOR THERAPY goes 54 Below! Hosted by award-winning composer-lyricist Ryan Scott Oliver(35mm, Darling) and Broadway actress Lindsay Mendez (Wicked, Dogfight, Godspell), ACTOR THERAPY, is a series of masterclasses for performers looking to improve their auditions, build a better book, and expand their understanding of what it means to be an actor and song interpreter in New York today. Join us as we celebrate the alumni of this awesome program. $10 cover charge. $30 premium seating. $20 food and beverage minimum or two drinks.

CARLY SAKOLOVE: I'M EVERY WOMAN, August 19 at 7PM:

Actress, singer, and vocal impressionist Carly Sakolove brings you into her crazy world with an evening of some of your favorite pop and Broadway Diva impressions. We journey through the soulful stylings of Adele, the Latin beats of Shakira, dating back to the Golden Age with Liza and Judy and so many more. In 2010, Carly's viral YouTube video "Broadway Divas Send in the Clowns" landed her in the Top Ten Talented Videos of the Year by Time Magazine. With a live band behind her and larger than life arrangements, this is an evening of laughter and music sure to leave you smiling. $25-35 cover charge. $60 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.

LAURA DEAN, August 19 at 9:30PM:

Laura Dean made her New York City Opera debut at 10 years old, but this is the first solo cabaret show of her career. With a mix of pop, rock and show tunes, she maps her journeys as an actor, a mother and a wife, and how those paths can cross. The music spans genres and decades, with songs by David Shire, Michael Gore, Pat Benatar, Elizabeth Swados, Freddie Mercury and more composers both new and known. A graduate of the High School of performing Arts, she's known for her film and TV work - Lisa, (the dancer who almost jumps in front of a subway) in Fame, Sophie (Rachel's Bloomindale's co-worker) on Friends, and Chicago - as well as Broadway. She played Mrs. Walker in The Who's Tommy and won the Theater World Award and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her role as Boopsie in Doonesbury. $30-40 cover charge. $65 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.

RITA RUDNER, August 20, 21 & 22 at 7PM:

Join Rita Rudner for her 54 Below debut! A house-filling favorite in Las Vegas since she opened in June 2000, Rudner is known for her epigrammatic one-liners. Over the course of a fourteen year run and 2,000 plus shows, she has sold one and a half million tickets and become the longest-running solo comedy show in the history of Las Vegas, even being named Las Vegas' Comedian Of The Year nine years in a row. Rita Rudner moved to New York at the age of fifteen to become a dancer on Broadway. She appeared in several shows, including the original productions of Folliesand Mack and Mabel. It was while in Annie on Broadway that she began exploring the comedy clubs of Manhattan. In the early '80s, Rudner took a full-time leap from chorus lines to punch lines and was soon a regular guest on both "Late Night With David Letterman" and "The Tonight Show." Rita's first solo HBO special, "Rita Rudner's One Night Stand," was nominated for several awards, as was her eponymous English BBC television show that later appeared in the USA on A&E. Rudner's two one-hour specials for HBO filled Carnegie Hall in New York three times and the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles twice. In 2008, Rita Rudner: Live From Las Vegas was PBS's first ever stand-up comedy special. Rudner is a frequent collaborator with her writer/producer husband of twenty six years, Martin Bergman. The couple's first play - Room 776 - ran as part of the 2008 season of the Las Vegas Little Theatre. Their second play, based on Rita's first novelTickled Pink, premiered at the Laguna Playhouse in April 2012. In 2016 Rita will again perform at the Playhouse in a new play, Act Three by David Ambrose.$55-65 cover charge. $110 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.

JOSHUA WARR, August 20 at 9:30PM:

Joshua Warr (The Americans, Law & Order: SVU, Hunting Season), actor, dancer, singer, fashion plate and confirmed bachelor comes to 54 Below to share his "Wickedly Funny" and fabulously entertaining thoughts on a certain 4-Letter Word... With the help of multiple award winning creative team Miles Phillips (Director) and Jason Wynn (Music Director), his band, backup singers and a very special "surprise" duet with Josh's inseparably close friend and confidant, Stormy Weatherz, Joshua tackles the sticky subject with passion, wit and humor, using Broadway and Popular Standards plus a healthy helping of Pop and Rock to uncover "The Truth About Love." Love & Warris candid, dazzling, vulnerable, sexy and undeniably moving. In other words, it's pure Joshua. You don't want to miss this. It's going to be a bumpy night! Joshua Warr is an award-winning actor with credits ranging from New York theatre (Love, Genius and a Walk; sExtOrtiOn; Pride River Crossing;The Revival; The Servant of Two Masters; Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens) to film, TV and web series (The Americans, Law & Order: SVU, All That Glitters, PX This: the series,Hunting Season, Dinner Takes All) As a nightclub entertainer, Warr is a MAC and BroadwayWorld Award nominee for his shows Sing No Evil and Joshing Around. $25-35 cover charge. $60 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.

CIARA RENÉE, August 20 at 11:30PM:

Catch Ciara Renée in her farewell concert before she flies off to Vancouver to film the newest CW comic book show, Legends of Tomorrow. Love. We all want it, need it, talk about it, and most assuredly write songs about it. I mean, nobody writes songs about "liking" someone. Well, not any good ones. Acoustic and varied, this concert covers many genres including folk, rock, jazz, and pop all stripped down to their simplest essence to illuminate the beauty and power of love. And not just romantic love, but love for our work, love for our friends and family, and most importantly love for ourselves. So come chill out and show your love and we'll show you ours. With special guestsChris McCarrell, Maddy Jarmon, Jude McCormick, and more! Also featuring Natalie Tenenbaum and Charlie Rosen. $25 cover charge. $45 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.

54 SINGS BACK TO THE FUTURE, August 21 at 9:30PM:

It's been 30 years since the first Back to the Future film was released, and now the soundtrack comes alive at 54 Below for 2 nights. Powerhouse Rock of Ages rockers Mitchell Jarvis andJustin Sargent bring you all the movie's songs - the ones written in 1985 as well as 1955 - from Huey Lewis to Etta James to Lindsay Buckingham to Chuck Berry. With assistance from special guests including Tyce Green, Jay Klaitz, Emma Hunton, Van Hughes and a band led by musical director Jonathan Ivie, this DeLorean ride will bring the "The Power of Love" into 2015. $30-40 cover charge. $70 premium seating. $25 food and beverage.

THE OTHER DIRECTION: IN CONCERT, August 21 at 11:30PM:

The Other Direction: In Concert! This broad-humored and zesty musical about a boy band, with music/lyrics/book by Jim Territo and contributing writers Andrew Rincon, Jacob Mondry, Danny Romeo, and Nathan Windsor, has been seen as part of the Musical Theatre Factory's 4×15 series. Catch the full version in concert! Greg, Deyvnn, Jason, Alex, and Norm make up The Other Direction, the world's biggest gay boy band. Their high-profile manager, Angela, is a showbiz pro who gives them a strict set of rules to follow to make sure they don't end up buried "under a naked pile of crackheads" or in jail. At the height of their fame, inner-band romances and drama threaten to break them up. It's up to their leader, Greg, to keep them together and prove to Angela they're still worth her time. $20 cover charge. $45 premium seating. $20 food and beverage or two drinks.

CHARLIE ROSEN'S BROADWAY BIG BAND, August 22 at 9:30PM:

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! A full sized jazz orchestra composed of seventeen musicians all play bandleader Charlie Rosen's re-imagined arrangements of an eclectic mix of tunes from Broadway's past, present and beyond! Both modern and classic showtunes are on display in this hugely unique and winning evening, sung by the best and brightest of Broadway's young generation of leading performers in the timeless tradition of a big band. Featuring Ben Fankhauser (Newsies, Beautiful), Lauren "Lolo" Pritchard (Spring Awakening, Songbird), Margo Seibert (Rocky), Alex Wyse (Spring Awakening) and more TBA!" Directed by Max Friedman. $25-35 cover charge. $65 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.

SARAH DASH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: 70S DISCO BRUNCH, August 23 at 11AM:

A few of Sarah Dash's biggest fans are throwing her a party which promises "big fun to be had by everyone." This 70s Disco themed birthday celebration combines a return to the location of the iconic Studio 54 with brunch, a bottomless cocktail aptly named after Sarah's international hit "Sinner Man", and once in a lifetime performances by some of her dearest friends and collaborators. Sarah Dash is perhaps best known as one third of the groundbreaking 70s group Labelle. Along with Nona Hendryx and Patti LaBelle, Dash cemented her place in music history with the smash "Lady Marmalade". On her own, she's recorded five impressive solo albums, collaborated with everyone from Nile Rodgers to Alice Cooper to Sylvester, and written songs with Keith Richards. This Grammy Hall of Famer has had her songs covered by the likes of Dionne Warwick and been sampled by Kanye West. Come join in on the festivities as we celebrate the legendary Sarah Dash. Alfa Anderson, Luci Martin, and Norma Jean Wright, the magnificent lead vocalists on era-defining Chic records "I Want Your Love", "Le Freak", and "Good Times" will get you up and dancing with a few of their classics and debut music from their hot new group Next Step. Also, expect a number of "surprise" guests as well as a dynamic performance from Tony-award winner and Grammy-nominated singer, Melba Moore. With food, laughter, flowing cocktails, and live performances this event is not to be missed. "There's a party goin' on right here - a celebration to last throughout the years." Special Guests: Alfa Anderson, Luci Martin, Melba Moore, Norma Jean Wright and more. $100 cover charge. $125 premium seating. Cover charge includes a two course brunch and signature cocktail.

54 SINGS STREEP: THE MUSIC & THE MERYL, August 23 at 7PM & 9:30PM:

Meryl Streep is a legend - and the greatest actress of our time. She has received three Academy Awards (with a record nineteen nominations), eight Golden Globes (with a record twenty-nine nominations), two Emmy Awards, two SAG Awards, the National Medal of the Arts, and the Presidential Medal of Honor. And to top it all off....she SINGS! From Into the Woods to Postcards from the Edge, some of her most iconic movie roles have featured songs. 54 Below is proud to present an evening celebrating those musical Meryl moments. Producer/director Scott Coulter has assembled a cast of Broadway and cabaret stars who will perform songs from Streep's films including Into the Woods ("Stay With Me," "Children Will Listen"), Postcards from the Edge ("You Don't Know Me," "I'm Checking Out"), Ironweed ("He's Me Pal"), Death Becomes Her ("I See Me"),Mamma Mia! ("The Winner Takes It All," "Dancing Queen," "Super Trouper," "Slipping Through My Fingers") and more. It promises to be a marvelously memorable night of Meryl, music and the movies. Featuring: Lisa Howard (It Shoulda Been You, Spelling Bee), Sally Mayes (Tony nominee for She Loves Me, Closer Than Ever), Marilyn Michaels (Catskills on Broadway, Funny Girl!),Caitlyn Caughell (Newsies), Elizabeth Ward Land (Amazing Grace), Regina O'Malley (Blood Brothers), Marcy Heisler (Ever After, Junie B. Jones), Molly Pope (FOUND), Danette Holden(Cagney, Shrek) and Mary Callanan (Mamma Mia!). $35-45 cover charge. $75 premium seating. $25 food and beverage minimum.



Videos