Will Van Dyke & Jeff Talbott Will Release Debut Album Next Month

The songwriting team of Will Van Dyke and Jeff Talbott is set to release an EP of their songs called A View of the River on Tuesday, September 15, 2015. They will then follow up the release with a concert of their songs at 54 Below on Monday, September 21, 2015 at 9:30 p.m.

The EP features seven pop and theatre songs by Van Dyke and Talbott, performed by Tony Award winner Billy Porter (Kinky Boots), Tony Award nominees Kate Baldwin (Finian's Rainbow, Big Fish) and Jonathan Groff (Hamilton, Spring Awakening), and Broadway and Off-Broadway stars Abby Mueller (Kinky Boots, the upcoming Beautiful tour), Matt Doyle (The Book of Mormon), Tamika Sonja Lawrence (Rent) and Preston Sadleir (Big Love).

A collection of pop-infused theatre standalone songs, the EP is a bracing and infectious introduction to a bold new musical theatre writing team. Music is by Van Dyke. Lyrics are by Talbott and Van Dyke. The album is produced by Van Dyke, Talbott, Brian Usifer and Derik Lee, and co-produced by Candy Gold. Orchestrations are by Usifer, and it was recorded and mixed by Lee. It will be available on iTunes and wherever digital music is sold.

The release of the EP will be followed up by a one-night only concert at 54 Below. Called The Songs of Will Van Dyke and Jeff Talbott: A View of the River, the evening will feature both the songs from the EP and a suite of songs from Van Dyke and Talbott's new musical Imagine Harry. That musical was recently named as one of the featured musicals in this fall's National Alliance of Musical Theatre's 2015 Festival of New Musicals.

The 54 Below concert will feature not only Kate Baldwin, Tony Award winner Annaleigh Ashford (the upcoming Sylvia, You Can't Take It With You, Kinky Boots) and Drama Desk Award nominee Julia Murney (Wicked, The Wild Party), but an exciting list of performers including Katie Rose Clarke (Wicked, Allegiance), Matt Doyle, Taylor Trensch (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), Tamika Sonja Lawrence, Josh Lamon (Finding Neverland), Preston Sadleir, Jake Odmark (Kinky Boots) and Marcus Neville (Kinky Boots, The Full Monty). Additional performers will be announced soon. A vibrant evening full of Van Dyke and Talbott's unique blend of pop and theatre sensibility fused with thoughtful, heartfelt lyrics, it promises to be a night to remember. Tickets for The Songs of Will Van Dyke and Jeff Talbott: A View of the River range from $35-$45, and are on sale now at www.54below.com.

Will Van Dyke is a New York-based musical theatre writer and music director. His compositions include Winnie The Pooh Kids (Disney), The Lion King Jr. & Kids (Disney), The Devil's Bitch (Playbill) and The Girls I've Like Liked (Ars Nova). Upcoming musicals include Magnificent Climb (with Rick Elice), Imagine Harry and Wintersong (with Jeff Talbott) and Writing Kevin Taylor (with Josh Halloway). Will orchestrated Andrew Lippa's show The Life At The Party (Menier Chocolate Factory). Will's albums Chasing the Day, Writing Kevin Taylor, Daylight, Constant and Make The Season Bright (the last three co-written with Matt Doyle) and his single Another Time (featuring Annaleigh Ashford) are available wherever digital music is sold. www.willvandyke.com

Jeff Talbott's play The Submission was the inaugural recipient of the Laurents/Hatcher Award in 2011 and was produced Off Broadway by MCC Theater; it received the Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Award for Best New American Play in 2012, and has since been performed all over the country. The play was a semi-finalist for the 2010 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. His play A Public Education was a finalist for the 2015 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. His plays have had workshops and readings at TACT, MCC and Pioneer Theatre Company. He lives in New York City and writes musicals with Will Van Dyke (Imagine Harry and Wintersong).

54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, is the new performance venue in the grand tradition of New York City nightlife. A few blocks from the heart of Times Square and just below the legendary Studio 54, 54 Below is a classically designed state-of-the art nightclub in the theatre district that hosts audiences with warmth and style. The venue provides a food and beverage menu from early evening through the wee hours of the morning that is worthy of the world-class entertainment on the stage. THE NEW YORK TIMES writes "the club has the intimacy of a large living room with unimpeded views and impeccable sound; there is not a bad seat. Its sultry after-hours ambience is enhanced by brocade-patterned wall panels planted with orange-shaded lanterns. And the atmosphere is warmer and sexier than in Manhattan's other major supper clubs." Located at 254 West 54th Street, 54 Below features up to three shows nightly with cover charges ranging from $15-$95.