Christina Fontinelli, Billy Stritch, and More to Play 54 Below Next Week

Next week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. A recipient of the 2022 Tony Awards® Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, 54 Below celebrates Broadway musicals and writers of the past and present, promoting an ongoing engagement with their work. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

THE NEW YORK POPS UNDERGROUND - SEPTEMBER 19 AT 6:30 PM

Join The New York Pops for an intimate cabaret performance featuring Elizabeth Stanley!

The evening will kick off with a champagne reception with music by The PopsEd Alumni Ensemble, featuring students from The New York Pops' PopsEd music education programs. Always charming and entertaining, The New York Pops Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke will serve as host and introduce special guest speakers from PopsEd. Guests will be served a delectable three-course meal, complete with wine pairings, as Elizabeth Stanley takes the stage with her musicians.

Proceeds from The New York Pops Underground cabaret fundraiser support the orchestra's PopsEd programs, which provide music education, arts access, and performance opportunities for New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds.

Featuring Elizabeth Stanley
Hosted by Steven Reineke
With opening act The PopsEd Alumni Ensemble

Event Chairs: Andrea and David Reiser

Tickets from $350.

Cristina Fontanelli: BE ITALIAN TU - SEPTEMBER 20 AT 7:00 PM

Back by popular demand, award-winning Italian Singer/PBS-TV host for Andrea Bocelli, Il Volo and Michael Buble, Cristina Fontanelli carries the Italian "torch" back to 54 Below in Be Italian Tu! While the Feast of San Gennaro downtown is bursting with zeppole and sausages, Cristina's fans will feast on the best of Italian music, Sinatra, Broadway tunes and more while enjoying the delicious cuisine and drinks on 54th Street! Come celebrate supper club style with this "vocal genius" (The New York Sun) and "Diva della Canzone" (American Oggi).

Songs include the greatest Italian popular song hits, plus Merman, Sinatra, Sondheim, a touch of Callas, and more hits from the Great White Way, accompanied by her fabulous musicians whose Broadway credits are stellar! From her Italian-family roots in Little Italy, to the great concert and opera stages of the world sharing the bill with the greatest (Tony Bennett), to singing for Presidents and VIPs, to her Best Actress awards in International Film Festivals and her appearances on CBS-TV, appearing with TV stars such as Kevin James, this is a beloved entertainer that has shared her heart with audiences worldwide and now wants to melt yours - Italian-style!

$55 cover charge ($62 with fees). $90 premium seating ($100.50 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

THE LITTLE MERSISTERS, FEAT. Diana Huey & MORE! - SEPTEMBER 20 AT 9:30 PM

Life is the bubbles in Broadway's Basement! For one night only, seven former Little Mermaids come together to serenade us with one of our favorite animated films-as well as its sequel, prequel, TV series, and Broadway adaptation! Be on the lookout for special guests, including many former fishy friends. Come be part of our world-it's sure to be one shell of a time! Produced by Jillian Michelle Smith, with music direction by Bryson Baumgartel and assistant production by Kate Coffey and Jenna San Antonio.

Featuring seven Little Mermaids: Emma Dahlin, Cara Rose DiPietro, Lauren Echausse, Diana Huey, Emily Grace Tucker, Teah M. Renzi, and Jillian Michelle Smith.

Also featuring Corey Barrow, Jennifer Geissman, Drew Hope, Jackson Hurt, Nicholas Kraft, Kevin Kulp, Sean Thompson, and Ryan Gregory Thurman.

$40 cover charge ($45.50 with fees). $65 premium seating ($73 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

Matthew Scott: THE JESUS YEAR - SEPTEMBER 21 AT 7:00 PM

Matthew Scott, a five-time Broadway veteran of An American In Paris, Sondheim On Sondheim, and Jersey Boys, makes his 54 Below solo concert debut with The Jesus Year. Having just become a new father himself, Matt looks for guidance from a long-lost letter his father wrote to him and his brothers advising them about everything from love and marriage to manhood and parenting. With direction by Joe Calarco and music direction by Vadim Feichtner, this hilarious, moving, and deeply personal show includes songs by Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, Cat Stevens, William Finn, and others!

$45 cover charge ($51 with fees). $75 premium seating ($84 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

MAIN CHARACTER ENERGY: SONGS FROM THE 2000S, FEAT. ALYSSA WRAY, TORY VAGASY, & MORE! - SEPTEMBER 21 AT 9:30 PM

Ready to live out your Teenage Dream? Come join us for Main Character Energy, a night of 2000s songs that theater's newest generation of performers were raised on. Lauren McCoig (Director) and James Stryska (Music Director) invite you to jam out to songs from pop icons like Kelly Clarkson, JoJo, Aly & AJ, and the shows and movies we all know and love. Featuring performances by Alyssa Wray, Tory Vagasy, and more, come hang out for a night of riffing, high-belting, angsty teen ballads, and all the feelings.

Featuring Chloe Castro-Santos, Eli Hamilton, Lauren McCoig, Liam McGettigan, Caleb Mitchell, Mary Mondlock, Alexx Pierce, Carolina Rial, Molly Russo, Mickey Skinner, Anna Catherine Smith, Tory Vagasy, Jordan White, and Alyssa Wray.

$40 cover charge ($45.50 with fees). $65 premium seating ($73 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

Janet Krupin: A TRIP TO THE LIBRARY - SEPTEMBER 22 AT 7:00 PM

In her first full concert return to 54 Below, Broadway veteran Janet Krupin (Bring It On, Hands on A Hardbody, If/Then) performs from a spectrum of stories that make life sparkle. Roles she played, roles that got away, and roles yet to be! From classics to modern hits, all the way to originals, Janet's voice, and comedy chops, are sure to entertain. An audience favorite from the "Broadway Loves" series, Janet is thrilled to be coming home again to the underground musical jewelry box that is 54 Below.

$35 cover charge ($40 with fees). $60 premiums ($67.50 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

THE SONGS OF EAMONN O'DWYER - SEPTEMBER 22 AT 9:30 PM

For one night only, British composer & lyricist Eamonn O'Dwyer brings an evening of his moving, funny, and bittersweet songs to 54 Below. A multi-award-winning writer, Eamonn's work was last heard in New York at the 33rd Annual Festival of New Musicals in 2021, where his outrageous Fanny & Stella was performed by a host of Broadway stars including Judy Kuhn, Heath Saunders, and Mason Alexander Park.

The evening will feature songs from Eamonn's vast catalog of shows, including Fanny & Stella, Mrs. Beeton Says, The House of Mirrors & Hearts, and his critically acclaimed retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which premiered at London's celebrated home of new musicals, The Other Palace. There will also be a chance to hear some brand new songs from Unexpected Beautiful, a new collaboration with NYC-based writer SEVAN.

Eamonn will be joined by Broadway's Heath Saunders (Company); rising star of London's West End Alex Young (Into The Woods, Carousel); Alicia Krakauer (Into The Woods, The Producers); SEVAN (Evita, "Madam Secretary"); and renowned London cabaret artist Hartley Wilson. Don't miss this unique opportunity to hear the songs of a distinctive and powerful voice in British musical theatre.

$35 cover charge ($40 with fees). $60 premium seating ($67.50 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

Billy Stritch: Cy Coleman REVISITED - SEPTEMBER 23 & 24 AT 7:00 PM

Billy Stritch is delighted to bring a brand new show to 54 Below, spotlighting the music of legendary tunesmith

Cy Coleman. He'll be joined this time by a swinging jazz trio (Tom Hubbard on bass and Ray Marchica on drums), all the better to perfectly celebrate one of Broadway and pop music's jazziest composers. The show will include Cy's biggest pop hits ("The Best Is Yet To Come," "Witchcraft"), songs from his Broadway shows (Sweet Charity, City Of Angels), and many undiscovered and unknown gems.

Cy Coleman was the composer of a dozen Broadway scores and a multitude of "stand-alone" pop songs in addition to being a world-class jazz pianist. It was Billy's honor to meet Cy in 1991 and the two formed a friendship built on their mutual love of jazz and showbiz. Billy almost always includes one or two of Cy's compositions in his shows and is excited to be creating an evening of this great material for the very discerning 54 Below audience!

$55 cover charge ($62 with fees). $95 premium seating ($106 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

BEN BOECKER: 10 YEARS IN NEW YORK! - SEPTEMBER 23 AT 9:30 PM

Ben Boecker: 10 Years in New York! is a celebration of Ben Boecker's 10th year in NYC, including special guest stars to be announced, appearances by Ben's drag persona, Starr Simon, and songs from Ben's musicals in progress, including My True Love! A Perfect Musical Fairytale, Santa VS. Amma Zon: Battle For The Soul of Christmas, Starr Simon's Mystery Surprise Musical That's Totally Inappropriate For Children, and Girls' Trip: An Ayahausca Musical. Ben is a NYC-based singer-songwriter, teaching artist, and voice teacher, a member of the BMI Musical Theater Advanced Workshop, the Dramatists Guild, and Actors' Equity. His mission is to write "Theater for Social Change,"- disruptive and paradigm shifting art that shines a light and inspires social change. www.benboecker.com.

Featuring Harrison Bryan, Savannah Lobel, and Starr Simon.

Joined by Elmo Zapp on bass and Kasey Blezinger on drums.

$35 cover charge ($40 with fees). $65 premium seating ($73 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

THE FAILURE CABARET: Justin Badger & STEPHANIE DODD - SEPTEMBER 24 AT 9:30 PM

This performance will also be livestreamed.

Wanna feel better about your own dysfunctional romantic relationship? The Fremonts have been married for ten years and they have the therapy bills to prove it. In this dark comedy cabaret fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Justin Badger from Fremont, California (Hair on Broadway, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Vocals/Guitar) & Stephanie Dodd from Fremont, Nebraska (59E59, Shakespeare & Company, Vocals/Accordion) perform their original music and tell their story of meeting in New York, performing on Broadway, accidentally moving to a pretentious mountain town and doing everything in their power to stay sane and married at the same time. This show was born when Executive Producer & Advertising Legend Chuck Porter declared, "Hey kids, let's do a show!" after a few beers in a hotel bar. It has a companion piece, a full length album by the same title, which was released digitally in April 2019.

$45 cover charge ($51 with fees). $75 premium seating ($84 with fees). $25 food and beverage minimum.

WRITERS CELEBRATE SONDHEIM - SEPTEMBER 25 AT 7:00 PM & 9:30 PM

Stephen Sondheim is a bastion of the musical theatre community and a legend in his own right. He was also a mentor for many generations of writers through personal connections, his many written letters, lectures, and books. Stephen Sondheim was not only an innovative and inventive writer, but also a generous teacher. Tonight, the generations that he taught and inspired gather together to pay tribute to him through an evening of story and song. Join us as we remember our Giant in the Sky who paved the way for all of us to dream, create, and finish our own hats.

The 7pm performance features Rona Siddiqui, Elizabeth Addison, Andrea Grody, Joe Iconis, Georgia Stitt, Timothy Huang, Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Richard Maltby Jr., and Adam Gwon.

The 9:30pm performance features Jay Adana, Ethan Carlson, Vaibu Mohan, Billy Recce, Emerson and Murphy Smith, Joriah Kwamé, Matthew McCollum, Cheeyang Ng, Michelle Rodriguez, and Helen J Shen.

Produced by Alexa Spiegel and Vaibu Mohan.

7pm: $60 cover charge ($67.50 with fees). $95 premium seating ($106 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

9:30pm: $45 cover charge ($51 with fees). $75 premium seating ($84 with fees). $25 food & beverage minimum.

LIVE FROM 54 BELOW

54 Below's new series is designed to make more shows accessible to fans all over the world. "Live from 54 Below" will feature LIVE performances of current shows on the calendar, streamed directly from Broadway's Living Room. Seven cameras will capture the excitement of being at the venue - all paired with the club's dramatic lighting and award-winning sound design. To recreate the live experience, all shows will be presented exclusively at the time of performance with an in-house audience and will not be available on demand afterwards.

The following performances will be streamed live. For tickets, visit www.54Below.com/LIVE

THE FAILURE CABARET: Justin Badger & STEPHANIE DODD September 24 at 9:45 PM ET / Tickets $15

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. The new policies require that performers, production, kitchen, and dining room staff, as well as all audience members show proof of vaccination to enter the premises. Additional information on our safety protocols can be found here.

54 Below has installed improved air circulation and filtering systems as well as added plexiglass barriers between some tables. 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.

Tickets and information are available at www.54Below.com.

MORE ABOUT 54 BELOW:

54 Below 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. 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.

A recipient of the 2022 Tony Awards® Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, 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.

54 Below is one of the most in-demand performance venues in the city, presenting over 700 shows each year. Unique in its mission, it has become an indispensable member of the Broadway ecosystem, providing a place for seasoned and emerging artists to hone their craft, try out new work, grow their fanbases, and gather as a community. The management team includes Proprietors and nine-time Tony Award winning Broadway producers Steve Baruch, Richard Frankel, and Tom Viertel, Creative and Programming Director Jennifer Ashley Tepper, and restaurant General Manager Mandisa Boxill.

Located at 254 West 54th Street, the club presents live shows at 7pm and 9:30pm. Late night programming will resume in the coming months. Tickets and information at 54below.com. All online and phone ticket purchases are subject to fees of 10% of ticket price, plus $1.50 facility fee.

Photo Credit: Stephen Sorokoff