Broadway at the Cabaret - Top 5 Picks for March 16-22, Featuring Ben Vereen, Tony Yazbeck, and More!

Broadway's 40 theatres aren't the only places to catch performances from your favorite stars! Well after Broadway orchestra's begin their overtures, ensemble members take their dance breaks, and performers belt out their eleven- o'clock numbers, the party continues at various cabaret venues throughout New York City. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you some cabaret highlights for this week as picked by our theatre editors, including: Amy Spanger at Birdland; Tony Yazbeck: The Floor Above Me; The Best Of "Broadway Sings", featuring Alysha Umphress & More; Ben Vereen: Steppin' Out; and My F#*ked Up Valentine.

Click here for BroadwayWorld's Full Cabaret Listings!

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Amy Spanger at Birdland

Where: Birdland NYC (315 W 44th Street)

When: March 16th at 7:00 PM

Tickets: $30 at http://www.birdlandjazz.com/event/780263-amy-spanger-new-york/

With Special Guest: Elizabeth Stanley

At nineteen, Amy Spanger announced to her parents that she was moving to New York because "these legs won?t last forever." At twenty-one she did. With a two thousand dollar loan, a shared one-bedroom in Harlem, and a job waiting tables, she made a promise to herself: "I will make it on Broadway within the next three years." Now she?s ready to talk about what happened next. In collaboration with her partner, musical whiz-kid Kris Kukul, Amy is proud to present an evening of pop, music theater, rock, country, and candid storytelling. The show will feature some of the music that put her on the map, including "Don't Stop Believing" from Rock of Ages, "Always True To You Darling In My Fashion" from Kiss Me Kate, and "Come To Your Senses" from tick, tick...BOOM! She?ll also share some glamorous and not-as-glamorous tales as she reflects on the places she?s lived and people she?s lived with along the great white way, including a budding schizophrenic, a pair of cocaine enthusiasts, and a couple of husbands.

Ever since her break out performance as Lois/Bianca in Broadway?s Tony Award-winning Kiss Me Kate, Amy has been cheered by audiences and critics alike for her star turns in shows like tick,tick...BOOM!, The Wedding Singer, Urinetown, Elf, Rock of Ages, and Chicago. She?s guest starred on "Royal Pains," "Ed," "Law and Order: SVU," "Six Feet Under," and "Bored To Death." She also played the depraved drugfiend Sally in Showtime?s original movie musical "Reefer Madness," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to become a cult classic.

Amy and Kris met at the Williamstown Theater Festival,where Amy played Gwendolyn in David Hyde Pierce?s production of The Importance of Being Ernest, and Kris served as music director of the Williamstown Late Night Cabaret series. They are currently collaborating on the new work Songbird by Michael Kimmel with music by Lauren Pritchard. With direction by Amy's husband Brian Shepard, appearing this spring in the new musical, Something Rotten, Amy and Kris have curated this concert designed to showcase Amy?s self-deprecating sense of humor and killer pipes.

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Tony Yazbeck: The Floor Above Me

Where: 54 Below (254 W 54th Street)

When: March 16 & 23 at 7:00 PM

Tickets: $35-80 at http://54below.com/artist/tony-yazbeck/

The acclaimed star of this season's On the Town revival, perennial song and dance man Tony Yazbeck heats up the stage with the return of his 54 Below tour de force performance in The Floor Above Me, a thrilling evening of tenor melodies and tenacious tap dancing!

The beloved Broadway vet-Gypsy (Tulsa), Little Me at Encores!, Chicago (Billy Flynn), Irving Berlin's White Christmas (Phil Davis), A Chorus Line (Al),Oklahoma!, Never Gonna Dance and NBC's Smash-will be joined by fellow Broadway hoofer and On The Town co-star Clyde Alves and tap dance sensation Melinda Sullivan (So You Think You Can Dance, Glee).

In this not-to-be-missed evening, with tunes spanning from MGM to Coldplay, Tony will weave tales from his first Broadway gig at age 11 (as a Newsboy in Tyne Daly's Gypsy) to his recent turn as Tulsa in the Patti LuPone revival, as well as share anecdotes from the professional and personal journey that has established him as a stalwart New York song and dance man.

Please join Tony Yazbeck at 54 Below for The Floor Above Me (with musical direction and arrangements by Jerome Korman, evening co-written and co-directed by Howard Emanuel & Tony Yazbeck) for an unforgettable evening of story, song and dance!

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The Best of "Broadway Sings," Featuring Alysha Umphress and More

Where: 54 Below (254 W 54th Street)

When: March 16 at 9:30 PM

Tickets: $30-70 at http://54below.com/artist/the-best-of-broadway-sings-featuring-alysha-umphress-more/

The team from the acclaimed concert series is back with 15 stand-out performances from the past seven BROADWAY SINGS concerts. Over a dozen Broadway performers will be accompanied by a 7-piece jazz band playing the dynamic arrangements from the series theNew York Times calls "sheer brilliance." Past concerts include Broadway Sings Adele, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder, Amy Winehouse, Justin Timberlake, and P!nk. The shows are produced by Corey Mach and music directed by Joshua Stephen Kartes. @BroadwaySings

The concert will feature performances from Ben Fankhauser (Newsies), Jay Armstrong Johnson (On the Town, Hands on a Hardbody), Eric Michael Krop (Godspell), Corey Mach (Hands on a Hardbody, Godspell), Tracy McDowell (Motown), Saycon Sengbloh (Holler If Ya Hear Me, Hair), Libby Servais (Lysistrata Jones, Wicked), Keala Settle (Les Miserables, Hands on a Hardbody), Alysha Umphress (On the Town, Priscilla Queen of the Desert), Raena White (The Lion King).

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Ben Vereen: Steppin' Out

Where: 54 Below (254 W 54th Street)

When: March 17-21 at 7:00 PM

Tickets: $50-110 at http://54below.com/artist/ben-vereen/

Join Ben Vereen at 54 Below for an unforgettable evening of song and story. The Broadway legend returns to our stage with his acclaimed show Steppin' Out, including new songs! The New York Daily News wrote, "Vereen blows onto the stage with a gale force ready to sweep the audience up, up and away"... so be prepared to be knocked off your feet by this riveting performance.

A Tony and Drama Desk Award winner for his renowned performance in Bob Fosse's Pippin, Mr. Vereen's Broadway credits include: Wicked, I'm Not Rappaport, Chicago, Hair, Fosse, Jelly's Last Jam, Jesus Christ Superstar, and A Christmas Carol. In 2010, Ben completed a successful run in the world premiere of Fetch Clay, Make Man, directed by Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys) at the McCarter Theatre. Film: Idlewild, All That Jazz, Sweet Charity, Funny Lady (Golden Globe nomination), Why Do Fools Fall in Love, Once Upon a Forest. Television: The legendary television miniseries Roots, How I Met Your Mother (recurring), Grey's Anatomy (Prism Award), Tyler Perry's House of Payne, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Hallmark's An Accidental Friendship (NAACP nomination), Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, Louis Armstrong - Chicago Style, Ellis Island (Golden Globe Nomination), Anne Rice's Feast of All Saints, Zoobilee Zoo, and Star Trek - The Next Generation. Ben's most recent feature film was Paramount Studios' Top Five starring Chris Rock and is co-starring with Richard Gere in the upcoming Time Out Of Mind.

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My F#*ked Up Valentine

Where: 54 Below (254 W 54th Street)

When: March 19th at 9:30 PM

Tickets: $30-60 at http://54below.com/artist/my-fked-up-valentine/

After the overwhelming success of 54 Below Sings Elaine Stritch, Director Eric Ulloa and Music Director Nate Patten return to the venue to bring you an evening blending the artistic communities of New York City.

My F#*ked Up Valentine takes you on a journey through the joys and perils of dating in NYC, as told through the eyes of this city's best Broadway, literary and comedic talents.

Featuring performances from:

Poppi Kramer (Bill Cunningham Show, VH1, The Biggest Loser), Isaac Oliver (Author of Intimacy Idiot), Ben Rimalower (Bad With Money, Patti Issues), Matteo Lane (Comedy Central, MTV), Hunter Ryan Herdlicka (A Little Night Music), Jeremy Benton (42nd Street), Cady Huffman (The Producers), Kate Rockwell (Bring It On, Rock of Ages), Tori Scott (I'll Regret This Tomorrow, Thirsty!).

Directed by Eric Ulloa. Music Directed by Nate Patten. Produced by Eric Ulloa and Dena Kology.

The evening will be a benefit for The LGBT Center.

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