The Fred Barton Broadway Band Presents MIRACLE ON 54th STREET At 54 Below

Elena Bennett, Dayna Jarae Dantzler, Ben Jones, Jenna Lea Rosen, and Jenny Lee Stern are the featured guest singers.

By: Nov. 28, 2023
The Fred Barton Broadway Band Presents MIRACLE ON 54th STREET At 54 Below
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The Fred Barton Broadway Band Presents MIRACLE ON 54th STREET At 54 Below

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents the return of Fred Barton and his Broadway Band, in "MIRACLE ON 54TH STREET," a new evening of songs from the Golden Age of Broadway, Hollywood, and Swing, including full-band seasonal swing favorites. Elena Bennett, Dayna Jarae Dantzler, Ben Jones, Jenna Lea Rosen, and Jenny Lee Stern are the featured guest singers.

The nine musicians that make up the Fred Barton Broadway Band represent the cream of the Broadway pit orchestra community, playing all-new arrangements from the pen of Barton, whose orchestrations are heard regularly at Carnegie Hall and in concert halls across the country. His Broadway Band has made numerous appearances at 54 Below, and this latest edition will feature songs of Frank Loesser, Irving Berlin, Jule Styne, Steve Allen, Irving Berlin, Kander & Ebb, Jerry Herman, and many more.

The Fred Barton Broadway Band plays 54 Below (254 West 54th Street) on Saturday, December 23 at 9:30PM. There is a $35-$45 cover charge ($40-$51 with fees). Premiums are $80 ($89.50 with fees) and there is a $25 food and beverage minimum. Tickets and information are available at www.54Below.org. Tickets on the day of performance after 4:00pm are only available by calling (646) 476-3551.

Fred Barton debuted at age 23 as arranger-pianist for the original Forbidden Broadway. He co-created the Drama-Desk-winning WHOOP-DEE-DOO!, also arranging and playing the Off- Broadway hit revue SPAMILTON, supervising its long-run Chicago, LA, London, Pittsburgh, and National Tour productions. At age 24, Fred created his one-man musical theatre piece MISS GULCH RETURNS!, with its hit song "Pour Me A Man," still produced by theatres nationwide, with the CD still selling and streaming after 37 years. Broadway/National Tour conducting credits: Anthony Quinn in ZORBA, Hal Prince's CABARET revival, Cy Coleman's CITY OF ANGELS, and Robert Goulet in CAMELOT. Television Composer/Arranger/Conductor credits: THE MAGIC SCHOOLBUS (Emmy Award), HBO's CATHOUSE: THE MUSICAL, WONDER PETS! (Emmy Award), and OLIVIA. He produced, arranged, and conducted ten large-scale concerts in his "American Showstoppers" series at the Michael Schimmel Center, featuring major Broadway stars and his 14-piece orchestra.

Elena Bennett is a winner of the Manhattan Association of Cabaret's Hanson Award, a Backstage Bistro Outstanding Vocalist Award, and Cabaret Scenes Magazine selected her as one of the Top Acts of the Century. Off-Broadway, she starred in the acclaimed musical theatre piece ERIK AND THE SNOW MAIDENS, and toured the country with the big-band revue FOREVER SWING. Elena performed as the star host of the Sydney Cabaret Convention, along with numerous appearances at the New York Cabaret Convention. She created the big-band album A WRINKLE IN SWINGTIME, with the 27-piece Fred Barton Orchestra, still in print and streaming worldwide after 24 years.

Dayna Jarae Dantzler is currently appearing in FORBIDDEN SONDHEIM, the new Gerard Alessandrini Off-Broadway revue. Her Broadway appearances include long runs in WAITRESS and THE BOOK OF MORMON, along with a wide variety of appearances in Off-Broadway, national tour, and regional productions. Favorite credits include: THE COLOR PURPLE and DON'T BOTHER ME - I CAN'T COPE. In addition to her newfound role in the technology sector, she remains a teaching artist, providing workshops to students with an interest in acting and music. She also coaches high school seniors on their freshmen entrance auditions.

Ben Jones is an award-winning singer, comedian, storyteller and actor who has shared the spotlight with the likes of Rita Moreno, Michael Tilson Thomas, Frederica von Stade, Nathan Gunn, Isabel Leonard, Helmuth Rilling, Michael Morgan, Val Diamond and the Bang on a Can All-Stars. His versatile voice has been featured on the Albany, Naxos and Delos labels. Ben made his Carnegie Hall debut virtually in 2021, performing a song on the Hall's Voices of Hope Festival. He was most recently seen as Sid Sorokin in The Pajama Game in San Francisco, for which he received the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Performance in a Musical. His recent two solo shows-I Think I'm in Love and I Think We Should See Other People-were featured in BroadwayWorld's "Best of 2022."

Jenna Lea Rosen is about to appear as Mabel opposite Dermot Mulroney and Caroline O'Connor in the new All Roads Theatre Company's inaugural production of MACK & MABEL. Recent theater credits include The Addams Family (Wednesday, Broadway at Music Circus), Anne of Green Gables (Prissy, Goodspeed Musicals), Grease (Sandy, McCoy-Rigby), Beauty and the Beast (Belle), Fiddler on the Roof (Chava, Pasadena Playhouse). Jenna voices multiple animated characters on the Disney Channel, Disney Jr, Netflix, and MAX. Jenna recently sang "Evergreen Symphony" in Taiwan for Disney Music, and has sung the national anthem for the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, and LA Galaxy.

Jenny Lee Stern was seen on the Great White Way in ROCKY (Original Broadway Cast) and A CHRISTMAS STORY (Madison Square Garden). She toured the country as "Mary Delgado" in JERSEY BOYS, originating the role in the Chicago and Toronto companies. Off-Broadway, Ms. Stern garnered critical acclaim for her portrayals of Judy Garland, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Sutton Foster (and more!) in Forbidden Broadway: Alive & Kicking. She regularly cameoed as the "Guest Diva" in Gerard Alessandrini's hit SPAMILTON: AN AMERICAN PARODY, and currently appears in his latest edition, FORBIDDEN SONDHEIM.

54 Below, a recipient of the 2022 TONY AWARDS Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, is a non-profit organization with a mission to preserve the music of Broadway and expand the art of the cabaret while growing opportunities for diverse communities of emerging and established artists and providing unparalleled audience experiences.

It 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. One of the most in demand venues in the city presenting over 700 shows per year, 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.

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 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. 54 Below has installed improved air circulation and filtering systems. 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.



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