THE EIGHTH ANNUAL HARVARD-YALE CANTATA to Play 54 Below in September

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, will again present a cast of Harvard and Yale grads and current students in The Eighth Annual Harvard-Yale Cantata: The Eras Tour. To celebrate the Eras, we are including writers and performers from the last eight decades. This show is a competition of Harvard alumni vs. Yale alumni, as performers and writers. Both schools have renowned songwriter alumni (Harvard: Leonard Bernstein & Alan Jay Lerner, Yale: Cole Porter & Bobby Lopez), although a lot of the appeal comes from younger alums and even current students. Yale leads this series 5-1-1. Last year's show was a non-competitive lovefest, which we record in the annals as a tie. This year our show returns to the competitive format. Harvard co-captains John Forster and Derek Speedy are mustering forces to avenge past losses. They have engaged Dylan MarcAurele as Harvard's music director. But the other team, headed by captain Serena Feniger, a junior at Yale, and Joshua Rosenblum, an alum who also teaches in the musical theater department, has their own ideas about that. Join producer and host Tom Toce for a cutthroat evening of terrific songs and wonderful performers. The critics have raved about past shows. As we always say, you don't have to have gone to West Point to enjoy the Army-Navy game, and you don't have to be affiliated with either school to love the Harvard-Yale Cantata.

The Harvard songwriters will include perennial Cantata favorite John Forster (“Entering Marion”), Benjamin Scheuer (Kleban Award winner, The Lion, A Mountain for Elodie)  Robin Batteau (Grammy winner, Emmy winner, Oscar nominee, legendary jingle writer and member of the folk duo Buskin and Batteau). Performers for Harvard will include Derek Speedy, Michael Wingate and Olivia Miller, as well as some of the songwriters themselves.

The Yale team will counter with songs written by Benji Goldsmith (Adjunct Faculty at NYU), Michael Gore/Dean Pitchford (score to the movie Fame, Oscar winners), Adam Guettel (Light in the Piazza, Floyd Collins, Tony winner)  Miranda Ferriss Jones (The Precipice, Showing Up),  Joshua Rosenblum (Fermat's Last Tango, Einstein's Dreams, Faculty at Yale) , and David Shire/Richard Maltby (Baby, Big, Starting Here, Starting Now, Oscar, Grammy, and Tony Award winners). The Yale performers will include John Cooper, Cicily Daniels (Bway: Once on This Island, The Little Mermaid), Joanne Lessner (Bway: Cyrano, Drama Desk nominated songwriter), Megan Loughran (Falsettos national tour), Lauren Marut, and Soleil Singh.

Additional performers and songwriters will be announced as the date approaches.

“The Harvard-Yale Cantata” plays 54 Below (254 West 54th Street) on Sunday, September 17, at 9:30. There is a $30-$40 cover charge ($34.50-45.50 with fees), with a $65 premium ticket charge ($73.00 with fees) and a $25 food and beverage minimum. Tickets and information are available at www.54Below.org. Tickets on the day of performance after 4:00 are only available by calling (646) 476-3551.

SAFETY INFORMATION

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. Additional information on our safety protocols can be found here. 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.  

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  54below.org.

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