54 Below to Celebrate Veterans Day with Irving Berlin's THIS IS THE ARMY

Feinstein's/54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, presents a 75th anniversary concert of Irving Berlin's "This is the Army" on Veterans Day, November 11, 2017 at 9:30pm.

On July 4, 1942, Irving Berlin's all-soldier musical This is the Army opened on Broadway before touring the US, making an Oscar-winning Hollywood film, playing the London Palladium, and visiting the front lines of World War II. This Veterans Day, an all-star Broadway cast will remember how this troupe of Broadway soldiers became the first racially integrated US Army unit, had openly gay soldiers who risked military prison, and avoided brushes with death as they brought their vaudeville show to the war's most dangerous combat zones. Featuring songs like "This is the Army, Mr. Jones," "Ladies of the Chorus," "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning," and "God Bless America."

History has largely forgotten this troupe of Broadway performers who were recruited by the Army to raise money for the war effort, and then to bring joy to the front lines of a difficult war. Many performers were bringing their talents to the battlefields, but there was nothing else like the logistics of bringing a full-scale Broadway show to the front lines. There were lights, costumes, setups, takedowns, a cast of 150 that needed sleep somewhere and be fed, and there was the difficulty of following the dual command of Army brass and the civilian Mr. Berlin.

"Irving Berlin's This is the Army" will be directed and produced by Jason Ferguson and will feature an all-star cast of Broadway performers.

"Irving Berlin's This is the Army" plays Feinstein's/54 Below (254 West 54th Street) on Veterans Day, November 11, 2017 at 9:30pm. There is a $30-$40 cover charge and $25 food and beverage minimum. Tickets and information are available at www.54Below.com. Tickets on the day of performance after 4:00 are only available by calling (646) 476-3551.

MORE ABOUT JASON FERGUSON

Jason Ferguson is an award-winning writer and producer. His critically acclaimed production of Ragtime took the largest musical ever made and brought it to a room above a London pub. It received five Offie Award nominations (winning Best Ensemble), a Whatsonstage Award nomination for Best Musical Revival, a BroadwayWorld nomination, and was a Time Out Best of 2011.

While living in London, Jason worked with West End producers Arden Entertainment to develop new plays and musicals, including Tunnel 228, an immersive production created by Punchdrunk and produced by Old Vic artistic director Kevin Spacey, set in the abandoned tunnels beneath Waterloo Station.

He also brings innovation to his advertising work, like a Samsung campaign where videos were created in real-time using improv actors that scored more than a million views in less than an hour, or a music video that was made completely from GIFs. The Verge called his writing "subtle, enigmatic, and really tasteful".

Jason was a 2012 and 2014 finalist in the Glimmer Train literary magazine awards. He sits on the board of off-Broadway theatre company Clubbed Thumb and is a Dramatists Guild member. Early in his career, he was P. Diddy's personal assistant at Bad Boy Entertainment. Jason was born in Tampa, attended NYU, and lives in New York City. More info at www.jason-ferguson.com.

MORE ABOUT FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW

Feinstein's/54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, is a 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, Feinstein's/54 Below is a classically designed state-of-the art nightclub in the theatre district that hosts audiences with warmth and style. Feinstein's/54 Below presents iconic and rising stars from the worlds of Broadway and popular music and has set a new standard for culinary excellence worthy of the world-class entertainment on the stage.

In their description of the venue, The New York Times writes, "Feinstein's/54 Below has the intimacy of a large living room with unimpeded views and impeccable sound; there is not a bad seat in the house. 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, Feinstein's/54 Below features up to three shows nightly with cover charges ranging from $5-$105. 54Below.com/Feinsteins

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