BLAME CANADA! with LES MIS Cast Members, Jarrod Spector & More Set for 54 Below this Week

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond:

TWISTED IN CONCERT: TEAM STARKID, March 17 at 7PM & 11:30PM:
Formed at the University of Michigan in 2009, Team StarKid represents an ensemble of writers, directors, actors and designers. Now based in Chicago, StarKid has garnered over 150 million views and 329,000 subscribers on YouTube; 200,000 Facebook fans; and over 132,000 Twitter followers worldwide. The team has had its albums chart on iTunes and Billboard. Now, Team StarKid makes their 54 Below debut! Twisted in concert will star Team StarKid members A.J. Holmes, Andrea Ross, Holly Grossman, and more performers to be announced. Hop on your flying carpet, because this musical parody retells the classic tale of Aladdin... from the villain's point of view! Long ago in a Magic Kingdom, one misunderstood Royal Vizier went on a quest to save his city from its bumbling sultan, an invading prince, and the most notorious thief to ever live! With the help of the Kingdom's free-spirited, teenage Princess, the Vizier must find a magical lamp containing a wish-granting Djinn (who's really funny, by the way) and defeat the city's most-wanted criminal... Aladdin! This musical adventure celebrates and lovingly pokes fun at everyone's favorite series of hand-drawn, animated films. $35-45 cover charge for 7pm show and $30-40 cover charge for 11PM show. $25 food & beverage minimum.

BLAME CANADA!, March 17 at 9:30PM:
Hosted by Cliff Saunders (Les Miserables, The 39 Steps) and featuring a host of Canadian Broadway talent, including Melissa O'Neil (LES MISERABLES, Jesus Christ Superstar), Ryan Silverman (Passion, Chicago), Aaron Walpole (LES MISERABLES, Jesus Christ Superstar), Melissa van der Schyff (Bonnie & Clyde, Big River), Camille Eanga-Selenge (The Book of Mormon), Danielle Wade (winner of Over the Rainbow, Dorothy in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Wizard of Oz), Alexandra Frohlinger (Soul Doctor, West Side Story nat'l tour), Timothy J. Alex, Evan Alexander Smith, Sam Strasfeld, Keely Hutton, Eric Coles, and Jenny Weisz and more names to be announced soon! Writers with work featured in the concert will include Adam Sakiyama, Bartram and Hill, Colleen Dauncey & Akiva Romer-Segal, Daniel Maté, Jim Betts, Jonathan Monro, Joseph Trefler & Jonathan Pearson, Landon Braverman & Derek P. Hassler, Leslie Arden, Naomi Matlow & Avi Amon, Nicky Phillips & Robert Gontier, Sankoff & Hein, Ted Dykstra, and Veda Hille & Bill Richardson. Join us for an evening of the best in Canadian musical theatre as we celebrate the launch of the Canadian Musical Theatre Writers Collective (CMTWC). Founded by Landon Braverman and Joseph Trefler, the CMTWC is a new national organization devoted to supporting and promoting the work of Canadian musical theatre writers both at home and abroad. The show will feature performances by an all-star cast of Canadian Broadway actors, with music direction by Rick Fox (Jesus Christ Superstar, Rent, Blood Brothers). Proceeds from the evening will go to support the CMTWC and its initiatives. Produced in partnership with the Canadian Music Theatre Project, Sheridan College, and Michael Rubinoff. $25-35 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

MOTHER, WIFE AND THE COMPLICATED LIFE IN CONCERT, March 18 at 7PM:
Like a musical "Sex and the City" meets "Desperate Housewives," this exciting new musical has been a smash hit in Australia and was an invited show in the 2013 New York Musical Theatre Festival. Returning to New York to play at the United Nations as a side event to the Commission for the Status of Women Conference, it is staging one show only at 54 Below. Both entertaining musical comedy and thought-provoking drama, it's a refreshingly honest account of the experiences of modern day wives, mothers and women, expressed in a uniquely candid Australian way. Following the lives of four best friends-Jessie (who's desperate to be married), Kate (career-focused and taking the trip of a lifetime), Lily (a working mom of two who seems to have it all) and Bec (a mom of three who's just trying to stay sane)-it's funny, sad, poignant and endearing as it reflects on the joys and frustrations of trying to "do it all." "With a fantastic pop score, the show moved the audience from laughter to tears, as it poignantly touched on what it is to be a woman. If you are a mother or a wife, or have one in your life, you will love this incredible show." Mary Kate Burke, New York Musical Theatre Festival. Book, music and lyrics by Amity Dry. Music and arrangements by Mark Simeon Ferguson. Directed by David Lampard. Starring Amity Dry, Nikki Aitken, Rachel McCall, and Susan Ferguson. $25-35 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

MELINDA DOOLITTLE, March 18, 19 & 20 at 9:30PM:
American Idol star and powerhouse vocalist Melinda Doolittle returns to the stage to celebrate the release of her sophomore album You're the Reason. As in her latest album, Doolittle dissects the topic of love from every angle. In an evening running the musical gamut from blues to Broadway, Melinda exhibits why The New York Times raves, "Ms. Doolittle has a voice that inspires trust... a stylistically adroit, phenomenally gifted singer." Featuring original compositions premiering live for the first time, hilarious stories, and Idol songs that started it all, Melinda explores what keeps her on the journey through lyrics and life... it must be love. $40-50 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

SARA GETTELFINGER, March 19 at 7PM:
Whether as the hilarious beltress singing about "Oklahoma?" in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, or as the sexy vixen tangled in sheets singing "Call From the Vatican" in Nine, Broadway's Sara Gettelfinger always makes a splash. Now, this Broadway scene-stealer debuts at 54 Below with her new show featuring an eclectic mix of songs. From her days as a chubby toddler in Louisville, Kentucky singing along with her mother's guitar to performing on the Great White Way, Gettelfinger explores the songs from bluegrass to Broadway that shaped her life and career. With the music of Joni Mitchell, k.d. lang, Stephen Sondheim and more, this evening provides something for everyone, and proves you can take the girl out of Kentucky, but you can't take the Kentucky out of the girl. $25-35 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

WILL & ANTHONY NUNZIATA, March 20 at 7PM:
After two consecutive sold-out concerts in January and February, Will & Anthony Nunziata are back at 54 Below for an encore performance of "Broadway, Our Way". The singers, actors and recording artists have won acclaim for their concert and symphony performances throughout the country and around the world putting their fresh take on pop standards, Broadway showstoppers, as well as contemporary and classic Italian music. The concert includes fresh arrangements of some of the greatest songs ever written for the stage including "Once in a Lifetime," "Make Someone Happy," "Being Alive," "Somewhere," "Lily's Eyes," and their signature mash-ups of songs including "Who Can I Turn To/What Kind of Fool Am I?" The brothers will be joined by their three-piece swinging band comprised of pianist Alvin Hough, Jr., drummer Sherrie Maricle and bassist Michael Kuennen. $30-40 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY GOES 54 BELOW, March 20 at 11:30PM:
Following the conclusion of OCUNYC's Spring Break workshops, current students and alumni come together for an open mic event at Broadway's supper club. Celebrate with the whole Oklahoma City University family for a night of reunions, music, and fun! Accompanist provided - so bring your book or choose a song from the 54 Below songbook! $20 cover charge. Two drink minimum or $20 food & beverage minimum.

KT SULLIVAN & MARK NADLER, March 21 at 8PM:
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! Following their smash, sold out 54 outting in January, KT Sullivan & Mark Nadler make their triumphant return! KT Sullivan and Mark Nadler, two of cabaret's most lauded artists, invite one and all to A Swell Party-RSVP Cole Porter, celebrating the timeless words and music of the supreme musical sophisticate of the 20th century whose witty, naughty & romantic songs continue to enthrall audiences today as they did in the Jazz Age. Among the selections are It's De-lovely, I've Got You Under My Skin, Let's Do It, In The Still of the Night, Night and Day & Begin the Beguine. $40-50 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

THE SONGS OF GABY ALTER, March 21 at 11PM:
Featuring performances from Alex Brightman (Wicked, Big Fish), Jason SweetTooth Williams (Bloodsong of Love, The Disappearing Man), Amber Gray (Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812) additionally Lauren Blackman, Alex Brightman, Haven Burton, Amber Gray, Jason Sweet Tooth Williams, Todd Almond, Molly Ranson, and Katie Thompson. Gaby Alter makes his 54 Below debut fresh from the Second Stage production of his musical Nobody Loves You, where it was both a New York Times and Time Out NY Critics' Pick, and was dubbed "The Best Musical of 2012" by The Wall Street Journal. A songsmith with a pop/folk sensibility and a penchant for dramatic storytelling, Gaby will be premiering a collection of new songs, along with numbers from Nobody Loves You, with a group of favorite Broadway and off-Broadway actors. His music will make you laugh, giggle, possibly want to cry (or at least get kind of misty-eyed), and remain stuck in your head for several months after. Gaby is a Jonathan Larson Grant recipient and winner of both the San Diego and San Francisco Theater Critics' Circle Awards, the NYC Fringe Songwriting Award and an ASCAP Plus Award. His musicals include Band Geeks (Goodspeed Musicals, Human Race Theater), 29 (NYU/Steinhardt), and contributions to the revue Stars of David (Daryl Roth Productions), alongside such writers as Jeanine Tesori, Alan & Marilyn Bergman and Maltby & Shire. He and collaborator Itamar Moses wrote the song "The Frigate That Flies" for the upcoming Disney film Tinkerbell and The Pirate Fairy starring Christina Hendricks. $25 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

CHRISTIANE NOLL, March 22 at 8PM:
Broadway audiences have embraced her since her debut, originating the role of Emma Carew in Original cast of Jekyll & Hyde. Since then, Christiane Noll has wowed The Great White Way in her Tony Nominated performance in the 2011 revival of Ragtime .Other Broadway appearances include It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues,and most recently, Chaplin. With a varied career spanning Broadway, opera, operetta, and jazz, Christiane has appeared with some of the most esteemed symphonies throughout the world. Look for songs spanning from Rodgers & Hammerstein to Gilbert & Sullivan, Kander & Ebb, Puccini to Sondheim and Frank Wildhorn! $35-45 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

3 WISHES FOR SONDHEIMAS, March 22 at 11PM:
Sondheimas, falling on March 22nd, commemorates the Great One's birth much in the manner of another perennially single Jewish boy whose world view was, let's just say, a lot less wry. Direct from the (electronic) pages of Rachel Shukert's Kindle single "Let Me Be Your Star," and the (electronic) pages of the "F*ck Yeah Stephen Sondheim" Tumblr, comes the world's first celebration of this holiday for the ages. One part concert, one part hilarious worship service - our Sondheimas celebration will feature the premiere of Shukert's pageant retelling the Birth of Steve as you've never seen it before, a homily by award-winning author/Broadway dancer Tim Federle (author of Better Nate Than Ever, dancer in Gypsy) and Sondheim songs familiar and rare, performed by Broadway talent including Molly Pope, Leah Horowitz (Follies), Terry Burrell (Dreamgirls, Into the Woods), Tamra Hayden (Cabaret), Justin Barnette (Hairspray, Fiorello! at Encores!), Puppeteer Scottie Rowell and the Sondheimas Tabernacle Choir. Make like the (Franklin) Shepards and Wise Guys, and follow the greatest star Broadway has ever known to 54 Below in honor of this great day. And if you're lucky, you might even get called on stage to help decorate the holiday beanstalk or sit in the festively decorated barber's chair and tell Sweeney Todd about your Sondheimas wishes. With better songs than The Greatest Story Ever Told and more laughs than The Passion of the Christ, you'll want to tell your grandchildren that you were there the day Sondheimas was first celebrated. $25-35 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

SONDHEIM UNPLUGGED, March 23 at 7PM:
A celebrated New York event since 2010, the Bistro Award-winning series Sondheim Unplugged features some of Broadway and cabaret's most dynamic voices, accompanied by piano only. Expect tunes from A Little Night Music, Company, Into the Woods, Follies, Passion, Dick Tracy and more. Past special guests have included original Sondheim cast members such as Len Cariou, Victoria Mallory, Donna McKechnie & Chip Zien - so you never know who might drop in. Sondheim Unplugged is hosted by series creator Phil Geoffrey Bond, who will fill the audience in on Sondheimien facts, history & assorted tidbits of theatrical lore! Come join the party! $25-35 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

JARROD SPECTOR, March 23 at 9:30PM:
Back by popular demand! Jarrod Spector, who is starring in the new Broadway hit Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, returns to 54 Below to celebrate his brand new album "A Little Help From My Friends: Live at 54 BELOW"! This acclaimed musical outing traces the legacy of the great male singers whose vocal prowess made them the rock stars of their generations, even before rock was born. After starring as Frankie Valli for six years in Broadway's smash hit musical Jersey Boys, Jarrod wraps his critically-praised voice around the songs that have made superstars out of more than a century of tenor legends from Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson to the great Enrico Caruso himself. In anticipation of Broadway Records' official release of the album on March 25th, CDs will be available for purchase at all four performances with a chance to have copies autographed. The New York Times calls Jarrod "A witty, energetic mini-jukebox musical ...A highly polished show."$30-40 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (866) 468-7619.

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