Mandy Gonzalez, Robin De Jesús, Katerina McCrimmon, Robi Hager & More To Star In AZUL EP Release Concert At 54 Below

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Mandy Gonzalez (In The Heights, Wicked, Hamilton), Tony Award nominee Robin de Jesús (In the Heights, La Cage aux Folles, The Boys in the Band) Katerina McCrimmon (The Rose Tattoo), Robi Hager (Spring Awakening) & More in the AZUL EP Release Concert.

In an unforgettable celebration of this new bilingual musical previously programmed at the 2020 National Music Theatre Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, NAMT 2021 Annual Festival of New Musicals, the 2022 NYC Women's Fund for Media, Music and Theatre, and the 2023 Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals, the creative team will be presenting a constellation of songs blending traditional Latin American sounds with contemporary musical theater to create a musical experience unlike anything you've heard before. This concert will celebrate the release of a full cast EP with arrangements and orchestrations by Tony and Grammy Award winner Alex Lacamoire (Hamilton, In The Heights, Dear Evan Hansen) and vocal arrangements by Kurt Crowley (Hamilton, Freestyle Love Supreme, Bring It On).

Joining this all-star cast are David Merino, Martin Sola (The King and I), Henry Gainza (On Your Feet!, Mr. Saturday Night), Florencia Cuenca and Xavier Cano, along with a band led by Music Director, Ben Moss, joined by Federico Diaz, Pablo Lanouguere and Franco Pinna. AZUL features a score by Jacinta Clusellas, lyrics by Melis Aker, Tatiana Pandiani and Jacinta Clusellas, and a book by Aker and Pandiani. This concert is directed by Tatiana Pandiani and produced by Anabel Manuela Romero, Ryan Duncan-Ayala, and Jacinta Clusellas. Casting by Michael Cassara, CSA.

AZUL EP Release Party plays 54 Below (254 West 54th Street) on March 23, 2023. There is a cover charge starting at $34.50 and $25 food and beverage minimum. Tickets and information are available at www.54Below.com. Tickets on the day of performance after 4:00pm are only available by calling (646) 476-3551.

Tatiana Pandiani is a Latin American writer & director-choreographer who works in Spanish and English. Recent: Our Town / Nuestro Pueblo (Dallas Theatre Center), Blood Wedding (Yale), What the Constitution Means to Me (Associate, Broadway and National Tour). Upcoming: Torera (The Alley Theatre, Houston / Long Wharf Theatre, New Haven). Tatiana has directed and developed new work at the Park Theatre (London), Cleveland Playhouse, NYTW, IATI, Primary Stages, Signature. As a choreographer, Tatiana collaborates with Latine artists in concerts & music videos. Tatiana is the New Works Director at Miami New Drama, and a professor at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University. Member of SDC. MFA: Columbia. Reps: Brillstein Entertainment Partners. www.tatianapandiani.com

Jacinta Clusellas is a composer, guitarist and songwriter based in New York City. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jacinta's music brings together South American folklore, jazz and chamber music. She is the composer-arranger of the bilingual musical AZUL (NAMT, Eugene O'Neill NMTC, Goodspeed) inspired by her concept album El Pájaro Azul (published in Japan under the record label Inpartmaint Inc). She has performed at SIX on Broadway, Lin Manuel Miranda's COCO screening concert, toured across the US (Lincoln Center, Joe's Pub, SXSW) and internationally in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Canada, Greece and Italy. She has arranged for A.R. Rahman (Boston Symphony Hall) and Alejandro Sanz. Jacinta is a Teaching Artist at the Very Young Composers Program for the New York Philharmonic and an assistant professor at Berklee College of Music. Upcoming: New album "A Dónde Llega el Silencio'' produced by West One Music (UK). www.jacintaclusellasmusic.com

Recipient of the Van Lier Fellowship and a Sundance grant, Melis Aker is a writer, actor, and musician from Turkey, based between London and NY. Forthcoming: Off-Broadway premiere of Hound Dog & London premiere of Field, Awakening (Kilroy's List). As a writer, Melis worked with the Atlantic (Middle Eastern Mixfest), Ars Nova (Play Group), NYTW (2050 fellow), O'Neill, NAMT, Cannes Film Festival, IFP, New Group, Dramatists Guild (DGF fellow), Finborough, Park Theatre and Morgan Freeman's Revelations Entertainment. She wrote the teleplay "Fractio Panis" starring Brian Cox for Homebound-Project/No-Kid-Hungry, and released her NYT-reviewed radio-play Scraps and Things on Playing On Air, starring Carol Kane. Acting credits include "The Equalizer" (CBS), "The Blacklist: Redemption" (NBC), "Seneca" (HBO Max), Love in Afghanistan (Arena Stage & Roundabout), Proof (Edinburgh Fringe). Melis will voice a recurring role in the audio series "Wavelength" from the creators of "Archive 81." Representation: CAA & Brillstein Entertainment Partners. www.melisaker.com

54 Below is committed to the health of its performers, staff, and guests and has created a Safety Plan to ensure safe conditions along with optimum performing conditions. The new policies require that performers, production, kitchen, and dining room staff, as well as all audience members show proof of vaccination to enter the premises. Additional information on our safety protocols can be found here. 54 Below has installed improved air circulation and filtering systems as well as added plexiglass barriers between some tables. Based on CDC and New York State guidelines at the time of performance, safety protocols and seating capacity may change, and policies may be adjusted as is appropriate.

54 Below was founded as a place for the Broadway community to celebrate Broadway performers, both established and new, who sing not only the music of Broadway and the Great American Songbook, but also new material intended for Broadway and off-Broadway stages. The club features fine dining and superb scenic, lighting, and sound designs entirely imagined by Broadway designers. For performers, writers, musicians, and more, 54 Below gives opportunities to advance their craft, expand their repertoires, and develop their voices in a way that is more personal, making them stronger as artists. It gives Broadway fans an opportunity to see their favorite artists in a different way, deepening their relationship and understanding of their talent.

A recipient of the 2022 TONY AWARDS Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, 54 Below celebrates Broadway musicals and writers of the past and present, promoting an ongoing engagement with their work. It is also a place for innovation in musical songwriting and performance. Collaborations born at 54 Below give rise to and help develop new theatrical projects and new musicals. In addition, its popular streaming video activities and audio recordings support these activities, helping to build a new Broadway audience worldwide, both in age and geography.

54 Below is one of the most in-demand performance venues in the city, presenting over 700 shows each year. Unique in its mission, it has become an indispensable member of the Broadway ecosystem, providing a place for seasoned and emerging artists to hone their craft, try out new work, grow their fanbases, and gather as a community. The management team includes Proprietors and nine-time Tony Award winning Broadway producers Steve Baruch, Richard Frankel, and Tom Viertel, Creative and Programming Director Jennifer Ashley Tepper, and restaurant General Manager Mandisa Boxill.

Located at 254 West 54th Street, the club presents live shows at 7pm and 9:30pm. Late night programming will resume in the coming months. Tickets and information at 54below.com.