Broadway at the Cabaret - Top 5 Cabaret Picks for May 16-22, Featuring Laura Benanti, Matthew Morrison, and More!

Broadway's 40 theatres aren't the only places to catch performances from your favorite stars! Well after Broadway orchestras 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: Victoria Shaw: "Under the Covers" With Special Guests Matthew and Gunnar Nelson; Laura Michelle Kelly at 54 Below; A Celebration of Laura Benanti Starring Laura Benanti and Friends; Matthew Morrison at 54 Below; and Julia Mattison IS Ruby Manger: Springtime For Ruby - A Farewell Engagement.

Click here for BroadwayWorld's Full Cabaret Listings!

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Victoria Shaw: "Under the Covers"

Where: Birdland NYC (315 W 44th Street)

When: May 16th at 7:00 PM

Tickets: $30 http://www.birdlandjazz.com/event/1122627-victoria-shaw-under-covers-new-york/

The Broadway at Birdland concert series it proud to announce the return of singer/songwriter Victoria Shaw in "Under The Covers." The one-night-only event will take place on Monday, May 16 at 7pm. Victoria's special guests will be Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, of the multi-platinum selling band, Nelson.

Hosted by award winning songwriter Victoria Shaw, Under The Covers has become a favorite recurring highlight at Birdland, featuring a wide variety of top-selling songwriters and musical acts from across the pop,rock and country worlds, and offering intimate acoustic performances of huge hit songs - along with the little-known stories behind them. Special guests will be announced soon.

Victoria Shaw is a pop/country songwriter responsible for over 65 million cd sales! As a singer, she had the great opportunity to open for Garth Brooks in the historic 1997 Central Park concert. Victoria also wrote one of Garth's biggest hits of all-time, "TheRiver." The two-time Emmy Award-winning composer also wrote "I Love The Way You Love Me" for John Michael Montgomery and "Nobody Wants To Be Lonely" for Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera. Her songs have been recorded by Olivia Newton John, Boyzone, Faith Hill, LeAnn Rimes,Reba McEntyre, Tricia Yearwood, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Michael McDonald. She co-produced the debut cd for Lady Antebellum,which went double platinum, thanks to three hit singles, and was nominated for two Grammy Awards.

Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, the multi-platinum-selling twin-brother duo-formerly known as Nelson-is once again in the spotlight. Last December, the brothers scored the surprise hit of the holiday season with "This Christmas," an original tune that gave the duo their first Top 25 single in more than 20 years. More importantly, the song-and the album from which it sprang-is merely the opening salvo in an exciting new musical direction, a stripped-down approach that emphasizes the Nelson twins' utter uniqueness while furthering longstanding family traditions.

The brothers first rose to international stardom in the Nineties with the Number One pop hit "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection." The Christmas LP is just one aspect of what has become a new phase for the brothers. Just as their dad did with his Stone Canyon Band in the Seventies, Matthew and Gunnar, who now reside in Nashville, have been working on music that will bridge the gap between rock and country. In 2014, they performed a well-received set at the CMA Music Festival,which eschewed all the trappings of their pop-metal heyday and instead spotlighted the two singers and their guitars.

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Laura Michelle Kelly

Where: 54 Below (254 W 54th Street)

When: May 16th at 7:00 PM (additional show on May 30th at 7:00 PM)

Tickets: $55-105 at http://54below.com/artist/laura-michelle-kelly/

In a personal, revealing evening of song and stories, Broadway leading lady Laura Michelle Kelly (Finding Neverland, Mary Poppins, Fiddler on the Roof) shares her journey of coming to New York City and making it her home. You'll hear some of her most favorite songs, ranging from musical theatre classics like "Don't Rain on My Parade", to current pop hits by artists such as Sara Bareilles. There will even be tunes from her favorite shows written by Jason Robert Brown, Stephen Sondheim, and Gary Barlow & Eliot Kennedy... who wrote her current Broadway venture, Finding Neverland. Laura Michelle Kelly invites you to experience her heart and a taste of what makes her feel at home. Be ready for some fun surprises and a big hearted welcome!

The evening will be helmed by the team behind Broadway Sings: Director Corey Mach and Musical Director Joshua Stephan Kartes.

Laura will be joined by the following guest stars:
May 16 - Dez Duron
May 30 - Jeremy Jordan

Click here for more information.

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We Love Her: A Celebration of Laura Benanti

Where: 54 Below (254 W 54th Street)

When: May 16th at 9:30 PM

Tickets: $55-100 at http://54below.com/artist/we-love-her-a-celebration-of-laura-benanti/

Center On The Aisle (#COTA) presents "We Love Her," a celebration of one of Broadway's foremost - and its funniest - leading ladies, Tony winner Laura Benanti (currently starring in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of She Loves Me). Conceived and hosted by #COTA's editor-in-chief, and frequent guest on NBC Weekend Today in New York, Steve Schonberg, the night will feature a cast of Benanti's friends and fellow stars who will celebrate this incredible talent with songs and stories from her career (Into the Woods, Gypsy, The Wedding Singer, ABC's Nashville, and more) - and of course, her most "favorited" Tweets.

Benanti will also co-star, and be presented with Center On The Aisle's 2016 "Our Leading Lady Award." The 2015 award was presented to Kelli O'Hara in honor of her 15-year career on Broadway. Benanti is being honored for her return to Broadway, many memorable, starring roles, and for serving as a positive ambassador between the stage and the screen.

Featuring:
Laura Benanti
Jeremy Jordan (Newsies, The Last 5 Years)
Michael Arden (Spring Awakening, FX's Anger Management)
Melissa Benoist (CBS' Supergirl, Fox's Glee)
Molly Ephraim? (Into the Woods, ABC's Last Man Standing?)
Michael Urie (Shows for Days, Buyer and Cellar)
Alexandra Silber (Fiddler on the Roof, Master Class)
The Skivvies (Lauren Molina & Nick Cearley)
Julia Murney (Wicked, The Wild Party)
Eric Anderson (Waitress, Soul Doctor)
Todd Almond (Writer, Musician and Performer)
Nikka Graff Lanzarone (Women on the Verge..., Chicago)
Jessica Rush (Gypsy, Jersey Boys)
Sarah Saltzberg (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Don't Quit Your Night Job)
Kathy Searle (Baby Mama, My Man is a Loser!)

Music Direction by Georgia Stitt

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Matthew Morrison

Where: 54 Below (254 W 54th Street)

When: May 21-25 at 7:00 PM (no show on May 24)

Tickets: $90-175 at http://54below.com/artist/matthew-morrison/

Emmy, Tony, and two-time Golden Globe nominated star of stage and screen Matthew Morrison will return to Feinstein's/54 Below for four very special performances. In this new concert, Morrison will perform classic renditions of standards and numbers from his past productions - including Hairspray, South Pacific, Finding Neverland, Glee, and more.

Morrison spent the past year entertaining over a half a million audience members portraying "J.M. Barrie" in the Broadway musical Finding Neverland. His professional career spans over 15 years, where he has performed and starred in various leading productions on Broadway, television, film, and beyond. Most notably, Morrison was nominated for a Tony Award for his role in The Light In The Piazza and starred in the Tony-winning revival of South Pacific at Lincoln Center, as well as originated the role of "Link Larkin" in the Tony-winning musical Hairspray. His rise to international fame stemmed from his role as "Mr. Schuester" in the Fox television musical comedy series Glee, which earned him nominations for both Emmy and Golden Globe awards.

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Julia Mattison IS Ruby Manger: Springtime For Ruby - A Farewell Engagement

Where: 54 Below (254 W 54th Street)

When: May 22nd at 9:30 PM

Tickets: $25-60 at http://54below.com/artist/julia-mattison-is-ruby-manger/

Featuring:
Noel Carey (Brooklyn Sound) as Randy Newman
Sara Chase (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) as Sharon Coq Au Vin
Andrew Kober (She Loves Me) as Jean Dijon
And
Taylor Trensch (Curious Incident) as Allen Quiche Lorraine

Join fictional Broadway diva Ruby Manger as she makes her long-awaited return to the New York stage! Julia Mattison stars as Ms. Manger, an enigmatic Broadway and film legend, famous for such roles as Trudy the Blind Ghost in I See You, Not Really, But You Know What I Mean (Tony Award winner, Best Musical and Best Actress) and as Roberta in the film Inside Roberta(Sundance Film Festival rejected submission).

In one hilarious hour, Ruby will re-visit her greatest career highlights and lowlights, from winning her first Tony Award, to her not-so-secret love affairs, to doing quaaludes in a basement with Rod Stewart that one time. Join Broadway's shining Ruby as she says Hello to Spring, and Goodbye to all of us.... Once again.

"Completely magical" - Ruby Manger

Julia Mattison has appeared on Broadway, television, and film, establishing herself as an upcoming comedian/actress and writer to watch. Broadway: Godspell (revival). Television: Drew(CBS), Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC), Hey Girl (MTV, dir. Michael Showalter), Jake and Amir (CollegeHumor), Late Show With David Letterman (CBS), numerous commercials for Yoplait and Holiday Inn, among others. Film credits include How To Be Single starring Rebel Wilson and Dakota Johnson (New Line Cinema). She is represented by Soffer-Namoff Entertainment.

Mattison and her comedy partner in crime Noel Carey (Randy Newman) just released their new comedy series Brooklyn Sound, available to watch at www.visitbrooklynsound.com

Directed by Max Friedman

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