Photos: Julie Benko & Company Let The Good Times Roll at Birdland

Birdland presented Julie Benko – direct from Broadway’s Funny Girl and Harmony– with her band “Euphonic Gumbo” on Monday, February 12. Benko marched her band out to celebrate Mardi Gras with six instrumentalists, including her jazz-pianist spouse Jason Yeager, in addition to Michael O’Brien on bass, Jay Sawyer on drums, Andy Warren on trumpet, Evan Harris on clarinet, and Rebecca Patterson on trombone. She was also joined by her former Funny Girl castmate, tap dancer extraordinaire John Manzari as special guest.

Check out photos below!

Performing in the classic New Orleans jazz style, Julie lets the good times roll with a potpourri of tunes inspired by her love of the Crescent City. Songs included selections from Hand in Hand, Benko and Yeager’s recent album from Club44 Records (“Louisiana Fairy Tale,” “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?”), Benko’s debut album (“Love for Sale,” her original song “Tomorrow Is a Day for You”) and other classics (“Basin St. Blues,” “When the Saints Go Marching In”).

Julie Benko joined the annals of theatrical lore for her sensational understudy-to-star trajectory as Fanny Brice in the recent Broadway revival of Funny Girl. Between her tenure as the standby, alternate, and full-time Fanny, she played the role over 180 times and received numerous accolades for her interpretation, including Theatre World’s Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theatre. She was also called the 2022 “Breakout Star for Theater” in The New York Times, named among “10 Broadway Stars to Watch for 2023” by Variety, honored as one of “40 Under 40” for Crain’s New York Business, hailed by CBS Mornings as “Broadway’s breakout star,” and profiled in numerous national media outlets such as The New York Times and Time. She is currently back on Broadway originating the role of Ruth in the Barry Manilow/Bruce Sussman musical Harmony. Her recent album Hand in Hand (Club44 Records), a duo effort with her pianist-composer spouse Jason Yeager, won the BroadwayWorld Cabaret Award for “Best Commercial Album” and received a MAC Award nomination for “Best Major Album.” Other recordings include Christmas With You (Club44 Records) and Introducing Julie Benko. She has played leading roles in many Off-Broadway and regional productions and enjoys a vibrant concert career, having headlined sold-out solo shows at venues around the country. For more, visit www.juliebenko.com or follow her on Tiktok/IG @Jujujuliebee.

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