Norbert Leo Butz, Lorna Luft, and More to Play 54 Below Next Week

Performances include Norbert Leo Butz feat. Ethan Slater, The Return of Young Boy, and more!

By: Oct. 14, 2023
Norbert Leo Butz, Lorna Luft, and More to Play 54 Below Next Week
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Next week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club and 2022 Tony Awards Honoree for Excellence in the Theatre, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. 54 Below celebrates Broadway musicals and writers of the past and present, promoting an ongoing engagement with their work. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit the link below or call (646) 476-3551. Limited $15 tickets are available for some shows. Visit 54Below.org/TicketInitiative for more information.

Norbert Leo Butz SINGS TORCH SONGS FOR A PANDEMIC – OCTOBER 17 AT 7PM

Back by popular demand! Join two-time Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz (Big Fish, Catch Me If You Can, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Wicked, The Last 5 Years) for this intimate set of tunes inspired by seven months of isolation in Vancouver, British Columbia, while filming the NBC series “Debris” during the height of the pandemic.

In this, Norbert's third original show at 54 Below, the actor and singer sings songs of alienation and anxiety, hope and transformation, and the healing power of a perfectly written pop song.  Sans his usual band, the evening features Norbert playing all his own arrangements, on piano and guitar, of some of pop and rock ‘n' roll's greatest all time songwriters, including Bruce Springsteen, Dolly Parton, Peter Gabriel, Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell, and Fleetwood Mac, to name a few. Each night will feature a duet with a surprise special guest.

Featuring Nick Blaemire and Ethan Slater.

Joined by Michael Bellar, Jason Loughlin, and Catherine Porter.

$80 cover charge ($89.50 with fees). $115 premium seating ($128 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

JAMES ROSE: MEN I'VE HAD – OCTOBER 17 AT 9:30PM

This performance will also be livestreamed. For tickets and more information, click here.

Fresh off their critically acclaimed run of Hedwig and the Angry Inch as one of the first publicly non-binary actors to take on the role comes Men I've Had, James Rose‘s hilarious and heartfelt solo confessional cabaret. A beloved storyteller of TikTok, Instagram, (and honestly anyone who will listen), James (@jamesissmiling) shares the trials and tribulations of the Men They've Had: exes, lovers, daddies, hook-ups-gone-wrong, and that one guy they really don't want to talk about, ok? James interweaves stories of their chaotic love life with the music of Taylor Swift, Sara Bareilles, and classic Broadway hits. Join James for an evening of what happens not when you get the boy, but after you've had him. Who knows, you just might text your ex on the way home.

Content Warning: this show discusses mature themes around sex, gender, identity, and a mention of sexual assault. Recommended age 16+.

Music direction by Bree Lowdermilk [she/her] (The Mad Ones, The Bad Years).

Direction by Ali Funkhouser [she/her] (The Wolves, Tarzan at FPAC).

$40 cover charge ($45.50 with fees). $65 premium seating ($73 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

THE RETURN OF YOUNG BOY: A NEW MUSICAL BY Keenan Scott II AND TRE MATTHEWS – OCTOBER 18 AT 7PM

Keenan Scott II & Tre Matthews make their 54 Below debut with a showcase of The Return of Young Boy, an epic new musical featuring a dynamic cast of uniquely divine characters and a score that will have you wanting more.

Upon returning to an unfamiliar home after a five-year trek to become the next griot after the death of his grandfather, Prophet, Young Boy is soon reunited with his best friend and first love as he finds out his grandfather wasn't the man he once thought him to be.

The world of this musical sounds, feels, looks and embodies the culture of New York City while grasping firmly onto the imagination and originality of classic musicals like The Wiz. Inspired by African folklore and ancient civilizations, thematically The Return of Young Boy will explore family, generational trauma, PTSD and the tribal nature of humanity. The songs will be an amalgamation of rhythm and blues, hip hop, gospel, amapiano, and SLAM poetry to create an innovative tapestry of music.

Book by Keenan Scott II (Thoughts of a Colored Man)

Music & lyrics by Keenan Scott II and Tre Matthews (Be.Leave.)

Arrangements and music direction by Rashad McPherson (Bayard Rustin: Inside Ashland)

Directed by Steve H. Broadnax III (Thoughts of a Colored Man, The Hot Wing King)

Featuring Bodega Bamz, Drew Drake, Crystal Fauntleroy, Roya Marsh, Esau Pritchett, Alexis Tidwell, Vladimir Versailles, and Wayne Wilson.

There will also be a special announcement made the night of. Come join us for an exciting evening of powerhouse performances and new musical theater!

$55 cover charge ($62 with fees). $85 premium seating ($95 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

NEW MUSICAL! THE GAME BOY BY Sharone Sayegh & DANNY J ROONEY, FEAT. John-Andrew Morrison & MORE – OCTOBER 18 AT 9:30PM

Sharone Sayegh & Danny J Rooney make their 54 Below writing debut with The Game Boy, a totally epic, 8-bit musical comedy featuring a cast of outrageous characters and a score full of super catchy 1980s-style jams.

The Game Boy follows the story of Omari, a Middle Eastern high school gamer who struggles to fit in with his all-American peers, and wishes he could be more like the majorly cool heroes behind the screen. When he stumbles upon a world-warping-wormhole in his school's bathroom stall and gets flushed down the pipes, Omari finds himself in an 8-bit alternate universe having to face his real-world obstacles manifested as gnarly video game foes, in order to beat the game and save the Kingdom. Part “Super Mario,” part Spaceballs, part The NeverEnding Story, The Game Boy is taking musicals to the next level!

Featuring John-Andrew Morrison, Autumn Hurlbert, Jeigh Madjus, Ahmad Maksoud, Jamen Nanthakumar, and Sharone Sayegh.

Music & lyrics by Danny J Rooney.

Book by Danny J Rooney and Sharone Sayegh.

Arrangements and music direction by Steven Jamail.

Produced by Jen Sandler.

$40 cover charge ($45.50 with fees). $65 premium seating ($73 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

BACK TO THE FUTURE THE MUSICAL SPECIAL BENEFIT PERFORMANCE – OCTOBER 19 AT 7PM

AT THE WINTER GARDEN THEATRE (1634 BROADWAY AT 50TH STREET)

OPTIONAL POST-SHOW RECEPTION AT 54 BELOW IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE PERFORMANCE

See Back to the Future the Musical and support 54 Below!

Synchronize your watches for Thursday, October 19 when you will take an electrifying ride to see Broadway's newest smash hit, Back to the Future the Musical at the Winter Garden Theatre.

Join the 54 Below family and fellow supporters at a special performance of this iconic musical – all to benefit “Broadway's Living Room.” All tickets include a tax-deductible contribution to the newly nonprofit 54 Below to support its audience development activities.

Winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Musical, the show stars Tony Award winner Roger Bart as Doc Brown and Casey Likes (breakout star of Almost Famous) as Marty McFly.

Experience this high-voltage musical comedy as the classic story is adapted for the stage by the movie trilogy's creators, Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis and is directed by the Tony Award winning John Rando.

Back to the Future the Musical features a book by Bob Gale, original music and lyrics by multi-Grammy winners Alan Silvestri (Avengers: Endgame) and Glen Ballard (Michael Jackson's “Man in the Mirror”), alongside hit songs from the movie, including “The Power of Love,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “Earth Angel,” and “Back in Time.”

Back to the Future the Musical is produced by Colin Ingram and our own Richard FrankelSteve Baruch, and Tom Viertel.

Choose from tickets that include pre or post show receptions at 54 Below or just the show!

Limited availability, order early to secure your spot. Tickets are non-refundable. For help reserving your tickets, email giving@54below.org.

Back to the Future runs two hours and thirty-five minutes including a twenty minute intermission.

$1,000 Premium Tickets ($625 is tax deductible). $1.50 processing fee.

Lorna Luft – OCTOBER 20 & 21 AT 7PM

Back by popular demand! Join Lorna Luft as she shares her adventures of growing up in entertainment as she will sing songs made famous by her renowned mother and film legend Judy Garland, tell the tales of old Hollywood and Broadway, and share favorites from the Great American Songbook. Through her song and story, journey with Lorna on her 70 years of life filled with strength, resilience, and gratitude.

Born to legendary entertainer Judy Garland and producer Sid Luft, Lorna Luft made her performing debut singing on “The Judy Garland Show.” Since then, she has had dozens of starring and guest-starring roles on film and television, ranging from Grease 2 and Where the Boys Are '84 to the series “Murder She Wrote” and “Sean Saves the World.” Lorna was co-executive producer of “Life with Judy Garland,” the 5 time Emmy award-winning miniseries based on her best-selling memoir, Me and My Shadows.

For the past several years, Lorna has been starring in American and British productions of Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Her other theatrical credits include her Broadway debut in Promises, Promises; Off-Broadway's Snoopy and Extremities; the national tour of They're Playing Our Song; a British tour of Pack of Lies; and Gypsy, Grease, Guys and Dolls, Mame, and The Unsinkable Molly Brown, among many others.

$75 cover charge ($84 with fees). $130 premium seating ($144.50 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

54 SINGS ADELE, FEAT. Isa Camille Briones, Talia Suskauer, & MORE! – OCTOBER 20 AT 9:30PM

Adele will not appear at this performance.

Back by popular demand, the music of Grammy Award-winning legend Adele comes to 54 Below! From “Someone Like You” and “Rolling in the Deep” to “Hello” and “Easy on Me,” join some of Broadway's best as we celebrate one of the most influential artists in the music industry today: Adele.

Featuring Gabrielle Beckford, Isa Camille Briones, Ashley Chiu, Mary Beth Donahoe, Savy Jackson, Lily Kaufmann, Kelsee Kimmel, Pablo David Laucerica, Nathan Lucrezio, Libby Lloyd, Emily Kristen Morris, Diane Phelan, Dee Roscioli, Nikhil Saboo, Jessie Shelton, Talia Suskauer, Cole Thompson, and Hannah Whitley.

Produced by Linnae Medeiros.

$45 cover charge ($51 with fees). $80 premium seating ($89.50 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

54 SINGS BROADWAY'S GREATEST HITS! – OCTOBER 21 AT 9:30PM

Previous volumes of this Scott Siegel concert event hit 54 Below like lightning! This was the show that every musical theater-lover had been waiting for… and now we're going to do it again, with a brand-new line-up of 54 Sings Broadway's Greatest Hits!

If you skip through cast albums just to hear the very best songs in each show, this is the nightclub concert event for you. If you love the classics of the Great White Way, come and hear the songs that made Broadway great, that made your heart soar, that you used to sing (maybe still do) in the shower! But at 54 Below, you will hear the greatest Broadway songs of all time performed by today's greatest stars, singing them straight up, the way you want to hear them!

And who better to produce/direct/host this show than the creator of Town Hall's critically acclaimed Broadway by the Year series, Scott Siegel, creator of more than 500 major concert events centered on Broadway music! 54 Sings Broadway's Greatest Hits! will be a thrilling night that you won't forget…

Music direction by Ron Abel.

Featuring Luke Hawkins, Ben Jones, Ryan Knowles, William Michals, Sophie Rapeijko, Benny Rose, Ann Stein, and Michael Winther.

$50 cover charge ($56.50 with fees). $85 premium seating ($95 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

RADIO 54.1: A LITTLE BIT OF…HALLOWEEN – OCTOBER 22 AT 9:30PM

Enter the world of Radio 54.1: A Little Bit of… Halloween.

Yes that's right! Your favorite sardonic radio hosts Tyler McCall (Fiddler on the Roof national tour, 54 Below, Totaled, Mandela) and Neil McLinden (Totaled, The Neighborhood Playhouse, Daydreamer), and their esteemed producer Adan Gallegos (Broadway By The Year, 54 Below, Macha) are back at it again LIVE! at famed venue 54 Below with a spooky Halloween spectacular!

Join our esteemed cast and crew as they take you through an evening of mystifying songs and harrowing storytelling meant to keep you perched at the edge of your seat!

Coming fresh off the heels of their smashing debut live broadcast of their very own radio spectacular featuring incredible New York based talent, our intrepid radio hosts have once again curated an auditory evening meant to tingle the senses and send chills up the spine.

We encourage all of our incredible guests to come in costume and spread the Halloween spirit!

Choreographed by Delaney Jordan.

Featuring Gregory Boyer, Rita Castagna, January Eyler, Adan V. Gallegos, Adam Lucas, Milena Makse, Tyler McCall, Neil McLinden, and Molly Russo.

Join us for a night you'll never forget…

$35 cover charge ($40 with fees). $60 premium seating ($67.50 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

LIVE AT 54 BELOW

54 Below's new series is designed to make more shows accessible to fans all over the world. “Live from 54 Below” will feature LIVE performances of current shows on the calendar, streamed directly from Broadway's Living Room. Seven cameras will capture the excitement of being at the venue – all paired with the club's dramatic lighting and award-winning sound design. To recreate the live experience, all shows will be presented exclusively at the time of performance with an in-house audience and will not be available on demand afterwards.

The following performances will be streamed live. For tickets, visit www.54Below.org/LIVE.

JAMES ROSE: MEN I'VE HAD October 17 at 9:45pm ET / Tickets $25 ($28.50 with fees.)

MORE ABOUT 54 BELOW

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.

Located at 254 West 54th Street, the club presents live shows at 7pm and 9:30pm. Tickets and information at the link below.



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