AN AXEMAS STORY IN CONCERT Set for 54 Below Next Month

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, has announced the return engagement of Charlie O'Leary's AN AXEMAS STORY, directed by Mackenna Goodrich, with music direction by Sara Linger. A holiday-themed take on 80s slasher films, AN AXEMAS STORY will return to NYC for a fourth consecutive year, bringing its “Sharply Hewn Fun” to the hallowed halls of 54 Below (254 W. 54th ST. CELLAR, NY, 10019). This concert production will take place Tuesday, December 10 at 9:30 p.m.

It's Christmastime in Tree Town and all the Trees are dying to look their best. After a few classmates begin to disappear, Small Paul (the puniest tree in Tree Town) and Noel (the mayor's daughter) begin to question Tree Town's relationship with the venerated Farmer Todd — who has been acting particularly strange as of late. Will this unlikely duo crack the case before the annual Christmas Pageant? Or will the Trees of Tree Town discover the true meaning of AXEmas this year… AN AXEMAS STORY is a sappy send-up of capitalism, Christmas shows, 80s tropes, and the religious right - but mostly, it's a very silly show with a lot of tree puns.

The concert stars Jessie Jo Aka, Charissa Bertels (A Christmas Story - Broadway), Alex Canty (Million Dollar Quartet - national tour), RJ Christian (Dungeons & Dragons The Twenty-Sided Tavern - off-Broadway), John Alejandro Jeffords, Isabel Julazadeh, Collin Kilfeather, Aubrey Matalon (Six - Broadway), Anthony Nuccio (Rock of Ages - national tour), Sarah Pansing (Les Miserables at The MUNY), Rose Anne Rabut, Chris Trombetta (Berenstain Bears Live! - off-Broadway/national tour), and Curry Whitmire (Odyssey: The Epic Musical - off-Broadway).

Produced in part by Kyle Mazer, Madison Wechsler, and Cartwheels Theatrical. Cover charges are $34.50 (includes $4.50 in fees) - $45.50 (includes $5.50 in fees). Premiums are $73 (includes $8 in fees). There is a $25 food and beverage minimum. Tickets and information are available at www.54Below.org. Tickets on the day of performance after 4:00 pm are only available by calling (646) 476-3551.

About the Creative Team

CHARLIE O'LEARY (Book) is a playwright, lyricist, and librettist. He is an alumnus of the 24 Hour Plays: Nationals, the BMI Workshop, the Brooklyn Generator, Crashbox Theatre Company's Write Play Launch, the Fornés Playwriting Workshop, the Project Y Playwrights Group, and the Road Theatre Company's Under Construction Playwrights Group. His plays and musicals have additionally been developed and presented by the Artist Co-op, CAP21, the Dare Tactic, Dartmouth College, Dixon Place, Dreamwell Theatre, the Flea Theater, the Fresh Fruit Festival, the Habitat, the Iowa New Play Festival, Jersey City Theater Center, Loading Dock Theatre, Middle Voice at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, the PIT, Pipeline Theatre Company, The Players Theatre, the Samuel French OOB Festival, Shuga Pie Supreme, the Tank, and the University of Notre Dame. His short works have been published by Methuen Drama, Smith & Kraus, and Theatre Now New York, with licensing by Music Theatre International. He has been a finalist for the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, the DVRF Playwrights Program, the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, Sanguine Theatre Company's Project Playwright, the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference, and the Woodward/Newman Drama Award, as well as the recipient of a New York Innovative Theatre Award and an Iowa Arts Fellowship. His song “A Date” (music by Helen Park) was a selection of the BMI Workshop Smoker; his songs have also been performed at places like 54 Below, Don't Tell Mama, and The Duplex.

Anthony DeAngelis (Music) is a composer, arranger, and pianist/conductor living in NYC. As a composer, he's had shows produced at The Utah Fringe Festival, by FUSE Productions in State College, PA, The PIT, WSU's musical theater incubator program, CAP21, 54 Below, The Players Theatre, and Nazareth University. His TYA show The Prince's New Pet will be licensed by Dramatic Publishing in the coming months. His orchestrations and arrangements have been played by The New York Pops, The Cincinnati Pops, and The American Pops Orchestra, with performances of his music featured on multiple PBS programs as well as at Lincoln Center. In addition, he's contributed charts to Randy Rainbow's “Hey Girl, It's Christmas.” He's a member of the BMI Workshop. As a pianist and conductor he's worked on over 20 Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. He was the associate musical director of Bright Star (by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell) as well as Kid Victory and Pacific Overtures.

PATRICK SPENCER (Lyrics) is an actor/writer living in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated with a BFA in Musical Theater from the University of Arizona. A proud member of the Dramatists Guild, alumnus of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop, and a creator/room-lead within ADIM (Rob McElhenney and Keyonna Taylor), Patrick has written music and lyrics that have been performed at 54 Below, The Pit, The Tank, The Players Theatre, The Duplex, The Shapeshifter Lab, The Bitter End, Mercury Lounge, The University of Arizona, Nazareth University, The University of Oklahoma, CAP21, and more. Current works include: Saw the Musical: The Unauthorized Parody of Saw (music and lyrics by Patrick Spencer and Anthony DeAngelis) in its second year off-Broadway and touring nationally.

MACKENNA GOODRICH (Director/Choreographer) is very fond of trees. She's excited to return for her third year in Tree Town. Selected directing and choreography credits: Bogeyman by Allison Merkel (The Road Theatre Company), Cabaret (Kenyon College Players), Dance Nation (Kenyon College), Kids Club/Club Kids by Jasmine Sharma (The Fled Collective), The Laundry Play by Sarah Groustra (The Chain Theatre), The Moors by Jen Silverman (Stage femmes), The Pine Barrens by Molly Kate Babos (Lime Arts), and Radio Man by Sarah Groustra (She NYC). Mackenna is also an associate producer for SciShow, teaches jazz at Mark Morris Dance Group, and runs The Road Theatre Company's Under Construction playwriting group. BA: Kenyon College. Member of The Fled Collective.

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 7 pm and 9:30 pm. Tickets and information at 54below.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.