Will Kelley Will Return to 54 Below With FOR THE RECORD
Tony winner Faith Prince and Michael Kirk Lane direct, with music direction by John Bronston.
54 Below will present the return engagement of For the Record, an original autobiographical cabaret show written and performed by Will Kelley. Following its acclaimed debut in February 2026, Will Kelley returns by popular demand for one night only on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 7:00 PM.
For the Record is a deeply personal evening that examines the walls we build to survive—the version of ourselves we construct to be good at the job, good under pressure, good at being whoever the moment needs us to be—and what happens when we've been that person for so long we forgot there was someone else in there. The show unfolds in three acts, moving from the early construction of those walls through the cost of living behind them to the reckoning of taking them down. As one audience member wrote after the February debut: "soft, hard, messy, completely together, all in quick succession…and his voice is perfect."
The remount features new and revised material developed in collaboration with Will's creative team, making this production a distinct and evolved chapter of the show's story.
Will Kelley, a New York City-based attorney and performer, began developing For the Record in late 2024 as a response to a world in need of art—and a personal reckoning with what it means to stop performing a version of yourself and start living. The February debut at 54 Below marked his New York cabaret debut, and the response from audiences and the venue prompted an invitation to return.
Will says of the show: "I built this show to answer a question I'd been carrying for a long time. What happens when the performance of yourself becomes the thing suffocating you? I wrote it hoping to find my own answer, and I built it hoping someone else might find theirs in it too. Coming back to 54 Below feels like finishing what we started."
For the Record is directed by Faith Prince (Tony Award, Guys and Dolls) and Michael Kirk Lane, with music direction by John Bronston. The production features Ian Jesse on bass and Drew Bastian on guitar and drums.
Prior to the June 2 performance, Will Kelley will appear at The Lineup with Susie Mosher at The Green Room 42 on May 19—offering a near-term opportunity to see him perform live.
In the weeks leading up to the June 2 performance, Will is documenting the entire rehearsal and creative process through a 30-day Instagram story series — offering audiences an unprecedented look inside the making of the remount. The series launched on May 2, 2026 and can be followed at @truebluewill.
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