Feinstein's/54 Below Presents YANK! 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, will present a special celebratory concert to mark the 10th anniversary of the musical Yank! opening off-Broadway. When this romantic gay love story set during WWII opened in 2010 at the York Theatre it was a surprise hit, garnering rave reviews and a raft of award nominations (Best New Musical and Score from the Outer Critics Circle, Outstanding Musical by the Lucille Lortel Awards, and 6 Drama Desk nods, including Best Musical, Music and Lyrics).

This one-night-only celebration will include songs, scenes and stories performed by members of the off-Broadway cast, led by Bobby Steggert, Ivan Hernandez, Nancy Anderson, Jeffry Denman, Tally Sessions and Andrew Durand, with commentary by the show's creators, brothers Joseph Zellnik (music) and David Zellnik (book and lyrics). They will be joined by guest artists who have played leading roles in Yank! productions around the world:

From the UK: Scott Hunter, Andy Coxon and Sarah-Louise Young

From Brazil: Hugo Bonemer and Conrado Helt

From Australia: Naomi Price

The musical director for the event will be Andrew Gerle, who will lead a band comprised of musicians who have a long history with the piece, including Allison Seidner (cello), Todd Groves (reeds) and Larry Lelli (drums).

Yank! 10thAnniversary Celebration will play Feinstein's/54 Below (254 West 54thStreet) on February 24that 7pm. There is a$40-$80 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 YANK!

Yank! is a love song to Hollywood's "it takes one of every kind" platoon flicks and to 1940s Broadway, with a period-appropriate score that includes swing, big band, boogie-woogie and more. The show, while fictional, is based on the hidden histories of gay men and women who served in the armed forces during WW2, the stories that "didn't make it into the history books".

The show premiered at the 2005 NYMF Festival, and continued to be developed with productions in San Diego and at Brooklyn's Gallery Players, before reaching off-Broadway in February 2010 (with direction by Igor Goldin and choreography by Jeffry Denman). A cast album, with new orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, was released by PS Classics in 2014, which led to productions in theatres around the country and globe, including runs in Manchester and London, UK (2017), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2017 and again in 2018; winner of the 2017 CENYM Award for Best Musical Brazil) and Brisbane, Australia (2019).

Selected reviews:

"A bright, original and moving winner of a musical!" - Steven Suskin, Variety

"Immensely engaging!" Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun Times

"Here's the word on "Yank!": It's just about crazy good." - James Hebert, San Diego Union-Tribune

"A plushly scored, unabashed throwback to the golden era of Broadway!" - Alfred Hickling, The Guardian (UK)

"An old-fashioned musical with a contemporary, socially conscious sensibility. The terrific score manages the difficult feat of invoking the musical styles of the era without sounding derivative." - Dan Bacalzo, Theatremania

"Yank! succeeds on just about every level that a musical can. It's the best show I've seen in a good long while." - Tim O'Leary, Afterelton.com

"A beautiful love story, and one that deserves to be told. One of the best musicals to hit London this year." - TheatreWeekly.com (London)

"A touching and unforgettable love story... the most courageous musical of the year!" - Rodrigo Fonseca, estadao.co.br (Rio de Janeiro)

"Yank! is delightful ... heartfelt without being earnest, old-fashioned without being staid, and refreshingly un-cynical. " - Richard Watts, Performing.artshub.com.au (Brisbane)

MORE ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

Bobby Steggert- Broadway Mother and Sons, Big Fish, Ragtime (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations), 110 in the Shade (Outer Critics Circle nomination), MASTER HAROLD...and the boys. Off Broadway: Yank! (Drama Desk nomination), Boy, The Grand Manner, among many others. Currently stepping away from his work as a performer, Bobby recently graduated from Columbia University School of Social Work.

Ivan Hernandez- Broadway credits include: currently Larry Murphy in Dear Evan Hansen; Billy Flynn in Chicago. Off-Broadway and Regional: The Wolf/Cinderella's Prince in Into the Woods (Delacorte), Sal in The Capeman (Delacorte), Mitch in Yank! (York), Fred in Romantic Poetry (MTC), Joey in The Most Happy Fella (NY City Opera), Dr. Zhivago in Zhivago (La Jolla), Martin in Senor Discretion Himself (Arena Stage). TV credits include: "Claws," "Scandal," "Devious Maids," "Law and Order SVU," "Crazy Ex- Girlfriend," "Criminal Minds," "NCIS," "The Following," "The Good Wife," "Angie Tribeca".

Nancy Anderson- She made her Broadway Debut as Mona in A Class Act and she played the roles of Helen and Eileen in the Broadway revival of Wonderful Town. Audiences of PBS Great Performances will also know her for her Olivier- and Helen Hayes- Nominated performance of Lois/Bianca in the West End premiere of Kiss Me Kate. Off-Broadway: Jolson & Co (Drama Desk nomination), Yank!, and the title role in Fanny Hill (Drama Desk nomination). Nancy has played leading roles in regional theatres coast to coast.

Jeffry Denman- A New York-based dancer and director/choreographer whose work has been seen all across the country as well as in NYC. Broadway credits include White Christmas, Cats, and The Producers (an experience he detailed in his book "A Year With The Producers"). Off Broadway he has been nominated for Astaire, Drama Desk Lucille Lortel, and SDC Callaway Awards as both a performer and choreographer.

INTERNATIONAL GUEST ARTISTS

Hugo Bonemer- TV credits include two seasons of HBO's The Secret Life of the Couples, and he was the dubbed voice Freddie Mercury in the Portuguese-language release of Bohemian Rhapsody and the character of Branch in Dreamworks' Trolls. On stage, Hugo was the winner of 2018's "Botequim Cultural" awards for playing Stu in Yank! Other theatre credits include Ordinary Days (2016's Cesgranrio award nomination), the Brazilian version of Broadway's Hair and Rock in Rio - The Musical, which he also performed in Portugal.

Scott Hunter- In addition to Stu in Yank!(Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester and Charing Cross Theatre, London), he has appeared as Blaine Tuttle in Cruel Intentions The Musical(Edinburgh Festival) as well as performing as Graham in the workshop of Murder At The Gatesby Steven Sater and James Bourne at the Other Palace Theatre (London).

Andy Coxon-Andy is currently playing Aaron Fox in the U.K. premiere of Curtainsin London's West End. Previously: Tony in West Side Story(Royal Exchange Manchester), Berger in Hair(The Vaults, London), Jamie in The Last Five Years(London & Frankfurt),Les Miserables(Movie & London West End), Beautiful: The Carole King Musical(London West End).

Sarah-Louise Young- Recently seen in New York on her one-woman show Julie Madly Deeplyas part of Brits Off Broadway at 59E59, which has also played to acclaim in the West End and internationally. Also: An Evening Without Kate Bush(Edinburgh Fringe),Come Blow Your Hornand Monster(Royal Exchange Theatre), Jerry's Girls(St James Studio & Jermyn Street), Cinderella (Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds). Television credits include: The Jury, No Angels, Casualty, Holby City, Doctors and Strictly Confidential.

Naomi Price- One of Australia's leading cabaret and theatre performers, she sprang to national attention in 2015 as Ricky Martin's leading lady on The Voice Australia. Theatre credits include the original Australian cast of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Ladies in Black(Queensland Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company); Sweet Charity(Understudy Productions) and Kiss Me Kate(Opera Queensland). Television performances include Creative Generation, Channel Nine Telethon, The Morning Show and Carols in the City, as well as performing the national anthem at many nationally televised sporting events.

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