Ken Billington News

Hot off the release of his new album, 'Drafts (Volume One),' composer Alexander Sage Oyen is bringing his songs to 54 Below tonight, January 19th! Joining Oyen at the 11PM concert will be Derek Klena (Dogfight), Ben Fankhauser (Newsies), Taylor Trensch (Bare, Matilda), Emma Hunton (Rent, Spring Awakening), Alex Brightman (Wicked, Glory Days), Corey Mach (Hands on a Hard Body, Godspell), Remy Zaken (Spring Awakening), Matt DeAngelis (Hair, American Idiot), Andrew Kober (Hair), Kennedy Caughell (American Idiot), Noah Galvin (The Great American Mousical), Michael McCorry Rose (Wicked), Lois Sage (John Bucchino's Grateful album), Drew Gasparini (composer, Smash), Jessica Kent, ElAnna White, Noah Zachary, Max Chernin, and Dan Housek.

Tony nominee Daniel Breaker will make his 54 Below debut, performing an intimate set with frequent collaborators Jon Spurney (Passing Strange), Justin Levine (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson) and Ron McBee (Ruined). After gaining high praise for his fresh and riveting performance in Broadway's Passing Strange, Daniel's recent stage credits include Shrek, the Musical, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark and The Performers, as well as appearances in film (Limitless, Spike Lee's Red Hook Summer). Join Daniel for an unforgettable night of jazz standards, haunting blues and much more! BroadwayWorld brings you a preview of his concert below!

Award-winning vocalist, director and Broadway actor (The Frogs, Sweet Smell of Success, Kiss Me, Kate) Eric Michael Gillett uses the wit and wisdom of Lorenz Hart to remind us all that, though love can be experienced with abandon, to be careless with the heart can also have a price. George Balanchine called Lorenz Hart the "Shelley of America," his lyrics rank with the greatest romantic poetry of all time. Though he, himself, was unlucky in love, his writing casts a spell that will always survive the test of time, inspiring generations of lovers to come to follow their hearts.

Broadway fell in love with Pamela Myers in 1970 when she introduced the now quintessential ode to New York City, "Another Hundred People," in the original cast of Stephen Sondheim's Company, in which she originated the role of Marta. New York audiences also know her as Lucy Van Pelt in Broadway's Snoopy!, and Cinderella's Stepmother in the 2002 revival of Into the Woods, among others. But television audiences know Pamela best not only for her recurring roles on Alice, but for her four season run on Sha-Na-Na. Now, at 54 Below, Pamela takes a look back at some of her more infamous stage moments and career highlights.

54 Below will re-welcome Andrea McArdle for three very special performances of the show that knocked audiences in the aisle when she debuted it with us in the summer of 2012. Broadway began its love affair with Andrea in 1977 when, at the age of twelve, she created the iconic role of Little Orphan Annie in the smash musical hit Annie. Since then, she's delighted New York audiences in Les Miserables, Starlight Express, Beauty and the Beast, and State Fair, along the way tackling concerts, recordings, film, and television. And best of all, these performances celebrate the release of Andrea's brand new Live at 54 CD, just released from Broadway Records! Cover charge $30-45. $25 food & beverage minimum.

On Broadway, audiences have embraced her as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, as well as in Enchanted April and Modern Orthodox. Off-Broadway, she received rave notices for her work in Jonathan Larson's tick, tick... BOOM! and Paula Vogel's How I Learned to Drive, and she toured the country as Charity Hope Valentine in the Broadway National Tour of Sweet Charity. Now, join Broadway leading lady and icon of the 1980s Molly Ringwald for a musical tour de force, accompanied by The Peter Smith Trio. Television audiences remember Molly from Diff'rent Strokes and the subsequent spin-off, The Facts of Life. Turning toward motion pictures, she found her breakout role in Sixteen Candles. Some of Ringwald's most famous films include The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink. Currently, Ringwald stars in the ABC Family network series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Cover charge $25-40. $25 food & beverage minimum.

Author, singer and film, television and Broadway actress from "Pretty In Pink," "Sixteen Candles," "The Breakfast Club" and ABC Television's hit show, "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," Molly Ringwald; the original Annie from Annie, Tony Award Nominee Andrea McArdle, Broadway veteran and Tony Nominee Pamela Myers (Company, Snoopy!!, Into The Woods), MAC and Bistro Award winning vocalist and Broadway veteran, Eric Michael Gillette (Kiss Me, Kate, The Sweet Smell of Success and The Frogs) gave a special press preview from some of the upcoming engagements at 54 Below just yesterday. BroadwayWorld brings you a preview of the special event below!

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond, including four-time Tony nominee Gregg Edelman, SAG Award winner Bryan Batt, actress Molly Ringwald, BACKSTAGE, award-winner Amber Martin, Tony nominee Andrea McArdle, Tony Award winner Michael Cerveris, singer Alexander Sage Oyen, composer David Friedman and more!

For those craving a show after the show, 54 BELOW, the new performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, offers its Today night cocktail party/songfest, 'Backstage.' Special guest stars tonight, January 15th include performances by singer and actress Anastacia McCleskey, from Broadway's Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Hair, Terese Genecco, jazz and swing vocalist and bandleader of the Little Big Band, The Chalks, a bluegrass diva trio, Jessica Hershberg, from Broadway's Baby It's You and Love and Real Estate and City Center's Encores! series Pipe Dream, and singer / songwriter Chris DiCristo.

The sparkling new high-tech production of the Tony and Academy Award winning musical DREAMGIRLS will electrify audiences in Thousand Oaks, tonight, January 15-January 20, 2013, at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

For those craving a show after the show, 54 BELOW, the new performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, offers its Tuesday night cocktail party/songfest, 'Backstage.' Special guest stars on January 15th include performances by singer and actress Anastacia McCleskey, from Broadway's Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Hair, Terese Genecco, jazz and swing vocalist and bandleader of the Little Big Band, The Chalks, a bluegrass diva trio, Jessica Hershberg, from Broadway's Baby It's You and Love and Real Estate and City Center's Encores! series Pipe Dream, and singer / songwriter Chris DiCristo.

A sparkling new high-tech production of the Tony and Academy Award-winning musical 'Dreamgirls' is coming to the Gallo Center for the Arts for five performances today through Sunday, January 11 -13.

There's a new girl in town this January when Tony and Golden Globe winner Linda Lavin takes to our stage for four encore performances of Now, the show she debuted on our stage in September that had audiences demanding more! New York audiences remember her from It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Broadway Bound, Collected Stories, The Diary of Anne Frank, Gypsy, The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, and many others, and the world over knows her as Alice Hyatt in the long-running hit TV series Alice. A veteran of the cabaret stage, Linda began her career playing such NYC nightspots as The Showplace in Greenwich Village and midtown's Downstairs at the Upstairs. Recently, Linda released her very first CD, Possibilities. This January, she'll be joined at 54 Below by Musical Director Billy Stritch, John Hart on guitar, and special guest violinist, Aaron Weinstein, playing Linda Lavin, Jan. 11 & 12 at 8:30PM & Jan. 10 at 7PM:. Cover charge $40-50. $25 food & beverage minimum.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond, featuring Tony Award and Golden Globe winner Linda Lavin, BACKSTAGE, Tony nominee Sally Mayes and award-winning jazz singer/songwriter Mark Winkler, award-winning singer Amber Martin, Sondheim Unplugged, musical legend Darlene Love, The Broadway Boys, Broadway star Morgan James and Night of Stars!

Hot off the release of his new album, 'Drafts (Volume One),' composer Alexander Sage Oyen is bringing his songs to 54 Below on Saturday, January 19th! Joining Oyen at the 11PM concert will be Derek Klena (Dogfight), Ben Fankhauser (Newsies), Taylor Trensch (Bare, Matilda), Emma Hunton (Rent, Spring Awakening), Alex Brightman (Wicked, Glory Days), Corey Mach (Hands on a Hard Body, Godspell), Remy Zaken (Spring Awakening), Matt DeAngelis (Hair, American Idiot), Andrew Kober (Hair), Kennedy Caughell (American Idiot), Noah Galvin (The Great American Mousical), Michael McCorry Rose (Wicked), Lois Sage (John Bucchino's Grateful album), Drew Gasparini (composer, Smash), Jessica Kent, Elanna White, Noah Zachary, Max Chernin, and Dan Housek.

Oscar and Tony Award-winning composer Alan Menken, director Jeff Calhoun and producer Thomas Schumacher will join Kara Lindsay, Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Mike Faist, stars of the Tony award-winning Broadway musical, Newsies, for a special presentation to 4,000 students and teachers representing 82 groups from 23 states at the 2013 Junior Theater Festival, it was announced today by Theater of the Stars President Nick Manos and Timothy Allen McDonald, founding Chairman of iTheatrics. The Junior Theater Festival is being held January 18, 19 and 20 at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta.

The new musical CHAPLIN, depicting the life of film icon Charlie Chaplin, concludes its Broadway run today, January 6, at the Barrymore Theatre, after 24 previews and 136 regular performances. Below, BroadwayWorld takes you through the hit musical's traipse on Broadway with photos, videos, and more.

The new musical CHAPLIN will be produced in São Paulo, Brazil at the Teatro Procópio Ferreira in April 2014 by Chaim XYZ Produções. The current Broadway production will play its final performance at the Barrymore Theatre on Sunday, January 6, 2013.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond, including Tony Award winner Donna McKechnie, jazz, funk and R&B singer Alex Burgnon and Tony Award winner Michael Cerveris.

Tony-winner Donna McKechnie will soon grace the stage of 54 Below in a brand new show: a musical déjà vu celebrating the scintillating 70?s in New York City - the heyday of Studio 54. McKechnie, best known the world over for creating the role of Cassie in A Chorus Line, is also well-known for her Broadway appearances in State Fair, On the Town, Company, Promises, Promises and How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. For these five very special performances, Donna will salute this remarkable era via the music of Jim Croce, Peter Allen, Marvin Hamlisch, Billy Strayhorn, and Stephen Sondheim, with arrangements and music direction by John McDaniel. BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge just chatted with the Broadway legend about the upcoming gig and you can check out the full interview below!