Jane Lynch, Tamara Tunie, Vivian Reed & More Set for 54 Below this Week

By: Jun. 16, 2014
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.

Coming up this week, 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.

BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY IN CONCERT, June 16 at 7PM & 9:30PM:

Presenting an all-star concert version of Paul Scott Goodman's rock musical Bright Lights, Big City, based on the novel by Jay McInerney. Bright Lights, Big City follows a week in the life of Jamie, a successful young writer who loses himself in the chaos of 1980s New York City. The concerts will star Colin Donnell, Matt Doyle, Jennifer Damiano, Keala Settle, Ben Crawford, Mackenzie Mauzy, Nicolette Robinson, original Bright Lights cast member AnnMarie Milazzo and Tony Award winner Alice Ripley. It will also feature an ensemble of six young performers, many of whom are making their 54 Below debuts: Michelle Cameron, Adrienne Eller, Zachary Infante, Dimitri Joseph Moïse, Lizzy Perkins and Tim Sampson. The musical's original director, Michael Greif, will be at the helm. Matt Hinkley serves as Music Director, leading a band which includes Mike Pettry, Craig Magnano, Steve Gilewski & Jay Mack. This will be the first NYC performance of Bright Lights, Big City since 2002, and happens during the 30th anniversary year of McInerney's novel's release. The musical was originally produced at New York Theatre Workshop in 1999. A studio recording is available on Sh-K-Boom Records featuring Patrick Wilson, Jesse L. Martin, Sherie Rene Scott, Gavin Creel, Christine Ebersole, Celia Keenan-Bolger & more. $40-50 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

EMILY KRON, June 16 at 11:30PM:

Emily Kron: Canvas features a host of beautifully talented vocalists and musicians performing an array of styles harking back to 90s female pop angst, sultry female jazz vocals, classical musical theater songs reinvented, and much more! Additional performances by Peter Albrink, Casey Donahue, Ming Aldrich Gan, Justin Graves, Charlie Hely, Catherine McCarthy, Karel Ruzicka and more. Emily Kron has been singing since she was a wee little thing. Trained classically by the legendary Marni Nixon, Emily fell in love with an array of musical styles right away and began collecting inspiration from the infinite well of artists in her grasp. She has performed in theater and musical theater performances all over the city, at venues such as The Cherry Lane, LaMaMa, NYTW, Ars Nova and at several top-teir regional theaters in the country. She has also performed in live concert and cabaret acts at Ars Nova, The Highline Ballroom the Metropolitan Room, the Red Lion, and BB King! Emily Kron: Canvas is the artistic love child of Emily Kron and Claire Graves. Emily and Claire established their collaborative kinship at Middlebury College, while working on their senior acting thesis, where they discovered a deep creative bond. $10 cover charge. $20 food & beverage minimum or two drink minimum.

TAMARA TUNIE, June 17 at 7PM:

Join Tamara Tunie as she celebrates the music of the legendary artists that hail from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: the city of Three Rivers. "Growing up in Pittsburgh, I had an inkling of the many musical talents who were from 'the 'Burgh,' but was thrilled to learn the depth to which those waters ran," says Ms. Tunie. From Lena Horne and Henry Mancini to Phyllis Hyman and George Benson, Tamara will celebrate the variety of composers and singers in two concerts at 54 Below. Known for her starring roles in films such as Flight with Denzel Washington, television series like Law & Order: SVU and the Sundance Channel's The Red Road, and on Broadway in Julius Caesar and Dreamgirls, Ms. Tunie holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Carnegie Mellon University. She has performed in jazz concerts at the Allen Room/Jazz at Lincoln Center and Feinstein's with incomparable musicians such as Mike Renzi, Ted Firth and Roger Humphries. She has also performed for the Mabel Mercer Foundation at Town Hall and at Symphony Space, bringing down the house with music from Billie Holiday to Cole Porter. Her performances in "All That's Jazz" have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Penn State University/Allegheny County's Student Scholarship Fund. $35-45 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

SARAH DASHEW, June 17 at 9:30PM:

With her smoky vocal style and signature blonde curls, Los Angeles based singer-songwriter Sarah Dashew has rapidly carved out her own niche in the music scene. Her music is highly relatable - balancing strength and vulnerability, depth and whimsy - and exudes Dashew's spirit and personality in every lyric and melody. Drawing upon influences as diverse as James Taylor and Prince, her unique style walks a fine line between folk, pop, country and soul. Intensely vulnerable and physical on stage, Sarah pulls the audience in with her incredible live performance; locking eyes, her hair whipping every which way as she lives her songs and invites you in to do the same. Sarah grew up sailing the high seas with her family (her dad is a boat designer), and acknowledged music as her calling after seeing a gospel concert in college. Mentored and developed by legendary producer Chuck Plotkin (Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan), Dashew has garnered unanimous critical praise both for her recordings and live shows. This one is not to be missed! $30-40 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

JANE LYNCH, June 18 & 19 at 7PM, June 20 & 21 at 8PM:

Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Jane Lynch comes to 54 Below for her solo concert debut! Fresh from her iconic portrayal of Sue Sylvester on Glee and her Broadway debut as Miss Hannigan in Annie, Jane will now provide audiences at 54 Below with four unforgettable June nights. Jane began her theatrical career and developed her comic skills at The Second City, Steppenwolf Theatre and in many church basements all over the greater Chicago-land area. In addition to Glee, Jane's TV credits include Desperate Housewives and Weeds, as well as the final season of The L Word opposite Cybill Shepherd. She has had recurring roles on Two and a Half Men, where she was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress, Criminal Minds and The New Adventures of Old Christine. With her wit and luminous stage presence, Jane served as the host for the 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Jane also has a long list of film credits, including Julie & Julia; Christopher Guest's For Your Consideration, A Mighty Wind and Best in Show; Talladega Nights; The 40 Year Old Virgin; Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and many more. $85-95 cover charge for 6/18, 6/20 & 6/21 shows. $75-85 cover charge for 6/19 show. $25 food & beverage minimum.

AMY TOPOREK, June 18 at 9:30PM:

Once In Love with Amy Toporek is the highly anticipated solo debut show by one of the most exciting voices in NYC. In addition to rave reviews on cabaret stages across the city, Amy has led the Hairspray tour as Tracy Turnblad and appeared in The Marvelous Wonderettes and Nunsense. At 54 Below, Amy will be channeling the women of our past, presenting the many sides of love and acceptance of one's status in life and one's own self. Ranging from Liza Minnelli to Nancy Wilson, this evening will take you back to the nightclubs of yesteryear as you rediscover and uncover some of the best tunes from the American Songbook. Backed by the 'Fantastically Nostalgic' 7 piece band, Dylan and the Glatthorns, Amy Toporek is set out to ring in her new day and reveal her take on the life and times of the NEW Modern American Woman. $25-35 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

VIVIAN REED, June 19 at 9:30PM:

BACK BY OVERWHELMING DEMAND! After packing 54 to the rafters in November, multi-award-winning singer, actress & dancer Vivian Reed presents her passionate and powerful vocal stylings in unique arrangements of an eclectic lineup of R&B, jazz, gospel and musical theater songs. Through selections from her critically acclaimed Broadway performance in Bubbling Brown Sugar, as well as from Three Mo' Divas, her concerts and international nightclub appearances, the two-time Tony Award nominee - who is the recipient of a Drama Desk Award, a Theatre World Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award, among others - pays tribute to the people who have had a profound effect on her career. Accompanied by two pianists, a bassist, a drummer and two background singers, her high-energy show also features special guests and a salute to Harold Arlen, with a preview of songs from One for My Baby, a new musical in progress. $40-50 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

COOL FEATURING LA'FEM LADOSHA, NEIL HASKELL, JULIANA HUXTABLE AND MORE, June 19 at 11:30PM:

Merging today's downtown stars with tomorrow's Broadway stars, "COOL" celebrates creative culture by bringing to life a night reminiscent of Studio 54. Featuring La'fem Ladosha, Juliana Huxtable, Neil Haskell, Brian Charles Johnson, Jessica Hershberg, Lesley McKinnell, Rahel, Preston Boyd, Richard Kennedy, ANML, and the band VIOLENCE. $20 cover charge. No food & beverage minimum.

THE SKIVVIES, June 20 at 11PM:

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! This "musically thrilling" undie-rock, comedy-pop duo don't just strip down their musical arrangements, they literally strip down to their underwear to perform their distinctive mashups and eccentric originals for cello and ukulele, with touches of glockenspiel, melodica, and a surprising array of under-used instruments. Award-winning singer-actors Lauren Molina (Marry Me a Little, Sweeney Todd, Rock of Ages) and Nick Cearley (All Shook Up) became YouTube sensations as The Skivvies, with living room videos that displayed their powerful harmonies as well as their powerful abs. Those clips led to live shows that The Wall Street Journal called "smart, sophisticated...ingenious," and Out Magazine, "The Skivvies have managed to carve out a niche that we never knew needed to exist: part Weird Al- parody and part sexy burlesque...and unusual explosion of satire and sultry." They also have a single and music video directed by Augusten Burroughs, bestselling author of Running With Scissors. They will be joined by special guest stars who will strip down and rock out. Expect a hilarious evening of genre-hopping pop perfection. Guest: Alice Ripley, Greg Hildreth, Jenna Leigh Green, Patrick Paige, Paige Davis, Justin Guarini, Jason Tam, and Patti Murin. $30-40 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

THE JULIE JAMES SHOW, June 21 at 11PM:

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! It's The Julie James Show starring SiriusXM Radio Program Director & celebrity host Julie James ("Broadway Names with Julie James"). Julie spills the showbiz beans with snappy stories and original songs sure to dazzle any musical theatre lover. A fast-paced romp of a variety show with hilarious new songs, long-lost Broadway gems, and an impromptu visit with celebrities in the audience, the show is a delight for Broadway fans and pop-culture geeks alike. With new songs by long-time collaborator Aaron Hagan, Julie rolls back the radio curtain on what it takes to run the only 24/7 Broadway radio station in the world while juggling jingles for Howard Stern, working the Red Carpet at the Tonys, and recording chatfests with all her theatre heroes back at the SiriusXM studios. It's a classic evening of favorite tunes with an unconventional style and surprising twists as Julie comes out to the world as the songstress, storyteller and comedienne she truly is. After all, it's The Julie James Show! $25-35 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

SONDHEIM UNPLUGGED, June 22 at 7PM:

A celebrated New York event since 2010, the Bistro Award-winning series Sondheim Unplugged features some of Broadway and cabaret's most dynamic voices, accompanied by piano only. Expect tunes from A Little Night Music, Company, Into the Woods, Follies, Passion, Dick Tracy and more. Past special guests have included original Sondheim cast members such as Len Cariou, Victoria Mallory, Donna McKechnie & Chip Zien - so you never know who might drop in. Sondheim Unplugged is hosted by series creator Phil Geoffrey Bond, who will fill the audience in on Sondheimien facts, history & assorted tidbits of theatrical lore! Come join the party! Starring: Hunter Ryan Herdlicka (Henrik, 2009 Revival of A Little Night Music), Sarah Rice (Sweeney Todd's original Johanna) and Pamela Winslow Kashani (Into the Woods' original Rapunzel). With special guests: Marilyn Maye and Lee Roy Reams. Featuring: Claybourne Elder, Julianne Heckert, Lucia Spina and Jessica Vosk. $30-40 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

TERRI WHITE, June 22 at 9:30PM:

From Blues to Broadway... This Follies star has seen it all and lived to tell the tales! For one night only at 54 Below, Broadway's own Terri White, also a New York piano bar legend, brings her special brand of charm, humor and powerhouse vocals to our stage for a night of mischief. In addition to her highly acclaimed work in cabaret, the Great White Way has embraced Terri in a variety of roles in shows such as Barnum, Ain't Misbehavin', Welcome to the Club, Chicago, Finian's Rainbow and, of course, the recent revival of Follies, where she co-starred as Stella Deems! $35-45 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.



Videos