Feature: Gifts To Cabaret That Last All Year - Day Seven

Mandisa Boxill is not a cabaret performer, but she is an artist. She does not get up on the stage, but she does entertain. She is not in the spotlight, but she is a star. Mandisa Boxill is the General Manager of 54 Below, though many who have gotten to know her over the years simply call her The Queen.

It takes a lot to run a club. It takes a lot to run anything remotely like a club, be it a bar, a restaurant, a nightclub, a theater, or any other establishment where the public comes to be entertained and to be made to feel like they are in your home. If you've ever been inside the walls at 54 Below and have seen Mandisa Boxill in action, then you know that this is exactly what she does: she makes you feel like you are in her home, and she provides you with the best that is possible in New York City entertainment. She might greet you at the door or show you to your table, for she is not above doing the work that the Front of House staff does - like any good captain, she does not expect the team to do anything that she won't do with them. To that end, Mandisa can be seen serving dinner to tables and happily chatting with guests about the wine that she is pouring into their glasses. Mandisa knows the product that 54 Below serves, from the menu that has been prepared to the drinks that are being served to the talent that is up on the stage. She is ready to speak, knowledgeably, about what you will experience in this, her home away from home, and she can handle any uncomfortable situation that bubbles up throughout an evening, and with a heart rate that never rises above eight beats per minute. She is the Captain of the ship, the hostess you want caring for you, and the heart of the organization, as evidenced by her proudly beaming presence in the audience at every 54 Does 54 staff show.

Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Mandisa Boxill arrived in New York City in 2011, just looking for a change of scenery ("I was eager to live in a big city where I wasn't prone to run into someone I know every time I left the house"). She had found some seasonal employment but needed something permanent, so Mandisa applied to work at 54 Below before the club was even ready to be seen, and she accepted the offerof work without having ever been in the restaurant. Three years after working as a food runner and backserver (work that she says she loved doing), the part-time manager left the employ of 54 Below abruptly and the owners asked Mandisa to step in, which she did with enthusiasm, since having been there from the beginning provided her with a (relatively) full working knowledge of the club. It was only days into this position that the Assistant General Manager tendered their notice and Mandisa took a giant step into that role ("I was extremely excited but terrified because I felt like I didn't have enough time to train in the management role"). One month later, the General Manager accepted an offer of work elsewhere, and Mandisa Boxill became the interim General Manager, while the search took place to find a suitable replacement. In little to no time at all, the owners of 54 Below realized that they already had their General Manager, and Mandisa was permanently installed into the position. That was 2018 and, clearly, that which the owners saw in Mandisa was well-founded, for her work at 54 Below was been exemplary. The experience of attending a show at 54 Below is always made better by Mandisa's presence in the room, a presence that exists even on her nights off (she is devoted to time spent with her niece and nephew, as well as checking out other eateries and Broadway shows) because Mandisa has worked to, meticulously, curate and teach the best people to run the club with the same warmth, efficiency, and care that she brings to her role there. Mandisa Boxill is the absolutely perfect example of the difference between being a boss and being a leader, something that doesn't come along every day.

In fact, Mandisa is something that doesn't come along every day, and everyone that passes through the doors of 54 Below knows it. She's a star without ever having to step up onto the stage, making every trip down the stairs and into the basement one worth taking.

Mandisa's online presence is as follows:

Instagram: Click HERE.

Facebook: Click HERE.

Mandisa's pronouns are She/Her/Hers

Photos by Stephen Mosher; Visit the Stephen Mosher website HERE.

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