Photos: Something New at 54 Below with BASEMENT AFTER DARK-THE MUSIC OF RAYE

The August 31 evening was produced by Stephanie Lazard and Elmo Zapp

By: Stephen Sorokoff Sep. 01, 2026

Photos: Something New at 54 Below with BASEMENT AFTER DARK-THE MUSIC OF RAYE

Last night on Monday August 31, 2026, 54 Below opened its doors to something new and exciting. “Basement After Dark: The Music of RAYE” brought a fresh musical voice to the legendary cabaret room. Produced by 54 Below’s own Stephanie Lazard in collaboration with music director and co-producer Elmo Zapp, the evening featured a first-rate band and an exceptional cast of singers who delivered RAYE’s music with energy, style, and passion. The enthusiastic audience responded with standing ovations, embracing the songs of this award-winning British superstar singer/songwriter and discovering just how powerful her music can be in a live cabaret setting.

From Stephanie Lazard, Co-Producer

“Elmo and I have actually been friends for about 14 years! We met when we were both living in LA and worked on shows together there, and we’ve continued collaborating since we both ended up in New York. Last night was our sixth show together at 54 Below. We previously produced 54 Sings Hanson, 54 Gets Warped Discs 1 & 2, 54 Sings Sammy Rae & The Friends, and 54 Sings Across the Universe.

Basement After Dark: The Music of RAYE was the first installment of a new series we’re calling Basement After Dark. After doing several of the “54 Sings” shows together, we started talking about what we could do next and how we could take that general idea a step further. We wanted to create something that felt a little more elevated and theatrical, still celebrating the music of an artist we love, but making the evening feel like its own cohesive show rather than simply a collection of songs.

That was a big part of what we tried to do with RAYE. Elmo created an overture to open the evening, as well as musical interludes and transitions that allowed certain songs to flow directly into one another. We also thought a lot about the order of the music, the combinations of performers, and how we could build an arc throughout the night so there was a real sense of momentum from beginning to end.

RAYE felt like the perfect artist to launch the series with because her catalogue gave us so much to work with. Her music can be theatrical, soulful, jazzy, incredibly vulnerable, and then completely explosive, sometimes all within the same evening. It also gave us the opportunity to put together an incredible group of performers and let each of them bring something different to her music while still making the show feel like one complete piece.

Our hope is absolutely to continue Basement After Dark and build it into an ongoing series at 54 Below. The idea is that each installment can have its own identity depending on the artist or music we’re exploring, while keeping that same goal of creating something more theatrical and intentionally constructed than a traditional tribute concert.”

The performers included Sara Al-Bazali, Sydney Jones, Charlotte Odusanya, Sarah Pansing, Morgan Reilly, Debbie Christine Tjong and Zalah Vallien.

The Band included Elena Bonomo, drums, Manny Houstan, piano, Devon Meddock, vocals/trumpet, Jordan Petty, saxophone, Kat Rodriguez,vocals,Mike Rosengarten, guitar, and Elmo Zapp, bass.

Find more upcoming shows at 54 Below on their website here.

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