Jeff Daniels, Beth Leavel, Rachel Potter & 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:

RACHEL POTTER WITH SPECIAL GUEST KHAYA COHEN, February 24 at 7PM & 9:30PM:
The X Factor finalist and Broadway's own Rachel Potter will make her triumphant return to the Big Apple, February 24th at 54 Below! After starring in The Addams Family and Evita on Broadway, Rachel went on to become a favorite of America on the third season of The X Factor, best known for her cover of Queen's "Somebody to Love," reaching over 9 million views on YouTube. The country beltress will debut an impressive new catalog of original songs to her New York audience, as well as showcase some Broadway and X Factor favorites she does best. Rachel will be accompanied by an incredible line-up of musicians, including Matt Hinkley, Miles Aubrey, Ken Dow, Joseph Brent and Damien Bassman. With special guest Khaya Cohen. Help us welcome Rachel back to the city that started it all and join us for this evening not to be missed. $30-40 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

MUSE MATCH, February 24 at 11:30PM:
MUSE MATCH: A Musical Theatre Blind Date Collaboration Where Composers write songs for actors they don't know! Featured songwriters include Drew Fornorola, Sam Salmond Julia Meinwald, Daniel Mate, Alexander Sage Oyen, Eli Zoller, David Alan Thornton, Rob Rokicki, Nikko Benson, Nathan Dame, Caleb Hoyer, Will Larche, Eric Loehr, Brett Macias, Andy Monroe, Paul Fujimoto, Caitlin Saylor Stephens, Sarah Caginese, Victoria Huston-Elum, Eric William Morris, Paul Louis Lessard, Jillian Louis, Analisa Learning, Jane Bunting, Mimi Robinson, Jacob L Smith, David Marshall, David Johnson, Kilty Reidy, Katie Madison, Erik Liberman, Preston Ellis, Zachary Prince and Julia Burrows. $20 cover charge. Two drink or $20 food & beverage minimum.

LONI ACKERMAN, February 25 at 7PM:
In this charming and beguiling musical evening, Loni Ackerman (star of Broadway's Cats and Evita) recalls personal stories of her unusual New York upbringing (including her childhood associations with such "family friends" as Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon) as well as revisiting songs she sang in New York hits like Starting Here, Starting Now and her two collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber. Directed by Barry Kleinbort, with musical direction by Paul Greenwood, Ms. Ackerman's repertoire also includes golden standards, contemporary songs, even one of her own compositions which became the theme song for a "very special" French film made during her time in Paris. Another prime example of her life as something just "Next to Ab-Normal." $25-35 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

BACKSTAGE, February 25 at 10PM:

Broadway cast members and audiences alike gather to mix and mingle at Backstage-"a perfect way to spend a Tuesday night" (New York Daily News). Musical director Brad Simmons keeps the house jumping from the piano, while hilariously effervescent host Susie Mosher (Hairspray) guides the crowd through an evening of music, mayhem and full throttle belting. Special guests from hit Broadway shows drop in to perform and sing everything from Sondheim to Springsteen. NPR sums it up best: "The best thing happening right now might just be Backstage. Can't recommend it highly enough!" Featuring: Jeannette Bayardelle (The Color Purple, Shida), Karen Mason (Wonderland, Hairspray, Mamma Mia!), Clarke Thorell (Annie, Hairspray, Titanic), Lesli Margherita (Matilda, Zorro), Black Hammond (First Date, The Addams Family, Hairspray), Anne Bobby (Smile), Carner & Gregor (songwriters/ Unlock'd, Island Song), Siren (Power pop divas), and Joe Ardizzone (YouTube sensation). $25 cover charge. $10 food & beverage minimum.

BETH LEAVEL, February 26 at 7PM:
Tony Award winner Beth Leavel makes her solo concert debut at 54 Below! Join us for an evening of songs and stories collected from her amazing 30-year showbiz journey. From her Tony-winning, scene-stealing performance as the title character in The Drowsy Chaperone to her Tony-nominated performance in Baby, It's You! to leading the cast of Mamma Mia! in spandex and spangles, Beth has become one of Broadway's favorite leading ladies. She has also starred on Broadway in Elf, Young Frankenstein, The Civil War, Show Boat, and both original and revival productions of 42nd Street! This is a celebration of Beth's Tony and Drama Desk-winning career with new songs, old favorites and a few surprising stories. So, "Stumble" into 54 Below and spend an evening with Ms. Leavel! $35-45 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

LOIS ROBBINS, February 26 at 9:30PM:
After a sold out performance and rave reviews, Lois Robbins is coming back to 54 Below for one more night! In her all-new show directed by Mark Waldrop with musical direction by John Oddo, Ms. Robbins passes along some hard won - and often hilarious - wisdom through personal stories and a wildly eclectic set of songs by Sondheim, Cahn, the Bergmans, Ahrens & Flaherty, Frishberg, Friedman, McBroom and more. New York knows Lois from her acclaimed stage appearances in My History of Marriage, A Time for Love and Cactus Flower. Television audiences remember her fondly for her work on One Life to Live, Loving, Ryan's Hope and All My Children. Get a revealing and unexpected glimpse of a woman many New Yorkers only think they know as she serves up a musical evening of intimate and irreverent Lessons from Lois. $35-45 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

JEFF DANIELS, February 27 at 7PM, February 28, at 8PM & March 1 at 8PM & 11PM:
After glowing reviews for his last engagement, Jeff Daniels returns to 54 Below for an encore! The New York Times says, "Jeff Daniels sings his songs with a growly twang and barbed good humor, at its high point evoking a transcendental picture of American wanderlust." You know Jeff Daniels from his Tony Award-nominated performances in shows like God of Carnage, from his Academy Award-nominated performances in movies like The Squid and The Whale, and for starring as anchorman Will McAvoy in Aaron Sorkin's HBO series, The Newsroom. You may also recall his years on and off-Broadway in plays like Lanford Wilson's 5th of July and Redwood Curtain. Now, Jeff Daniels brings his original music to 54 Below in an intimate musical evening. The songs are tuneful, funny, honest and true, with titles like "If William Shatner Can, I Can Too", "You Can Drink An Ugly Girl Pretty", and "Have a Good Life (Then Die)". Filled with laugh-out-loud humor and poignancy, this is a wondrous night with one of television's biggest stars that you don't want to miss. $40-50 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

ANNE TOLPEGIN, February 27 at 9:30PM:
For your eyes (and ears) only, nobody does a James Bond song better than Anne Tolpegin. Her concert of Bond classics will leave you shaken - not stirred. A self-declared Bond Girl from California, Tolpegin has enthralled audiences Internationally as well as off and on Broadway, performing in Les Miserables, Ragtime, Billy Elliot, Mamma Mia!, A Tale of Two Cities and Carrie. It seems the world is not enough for Tolpegin, whose 54 Below debut takes you on a deliciously sexy review of 50 years of classic signature Bond theme songs. She's cool. It's hot. It's Bond. Check it out. $25-35 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

SHENANDOAH CONSERVATORY ALUMNI CABARET, February 27 at 11:30PM:
Join us for the 1st Annual Shenandoah Conservatory Alumni Cabaret! Completely alumni run, the cabaret will be directed by Aaron Galligan-Stierle (The Phantom of The Opera, Ragtime, The Grinch), and have performances by Broadway actors who once called Shenandoah home, including Jason Wooten (Footloose, Jekyll & Hyde), Kathy Voytko (Pirate Queen, Nine), Laura Woyasz (Wicked), Sara King (Hair, Beautiful), Anthony Wayne (Anything Goes, Pippin), and more! This will be a night of music and celebration of our beloved friend and student of SU Ira Lindberg Harris and proceeds will benefit the Ira Lindberg-Harris Scholarship. $10 cover charge. Two drink or $20 food & beverage minimum.

PATTY & EMILY &, February 28 at 11PM:
Patty & Emily are taking their special brand of fangirl enthusiasm off YouTube and bringing it on the 54 Below stage! Join in the obsessive Broadway chat with this late night talk show. After their hilarious hit debut at 54 Below this January, Patty & Emily return with a new show, starring Broadway's Cady Huffman (The Producers, The Nance), Jennifer Laura Thompson (Nice Work If You Can Get It, Urinetown), Jessica Phillips (Leap of Faith, Next to Normal), Alex Wyse (Lysistrata Jones, Wicked), and more! Patty & Emily, along with music director Kevin David Thomas, will welcome Broadway guests for performances and interviews, all the while gushing over them embarrassingly. There will be gasping, laughing, probably a lot of tears, and a whole lot of Broadway love. $15 cover charge. Two drink or $20 food & beverage minimum.

LOST MOVIE THEMES, March 2 at 5PM:
A treasure trove of amazing movie themes & songs that didn't reach the winners' circle on Oscar Night! Lost Movie Themes is a celebration of the songwriters for whom it was an honor just to be nominated, interpreted by some of Broadway's most exciting talent. An evening of the unforgettable, the forgotten & the egregiously overlooked, filled with stories about the songs and the making of the movies themselves. Directed & hosted by Eric Michael Gillett (Broadway's Sweet Smell of Success, The Frogs, Kiss Me, Kate), & starring Karen Akers (Broadway's Nine, Grand Hotel), Mandy Gonzalez (Broadway's Wicked, In the Heights, Dance of the Vampires) & Jarrod Spector (Broadway's Beautiful, Jersey Boys) & featuring Stephen Mitchell Brown (Broadway's Jekyll & Hyde), Melanie Vaughan (Broadway's Parade, Sunday in the Park with George) with Leah Jennings, Eva Kantor & Alexis Fishman (NYMF's 2012 "Next Broadway Sensation"). $35-45 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

OSCAR NIGHT, March 2 at 7PM:
Join the party at 54 Below for Oscar Night, and revel in the glitz and glamour of Old Hollywood as you watch with us on our large screen TVs! Have a glass (or two or three) of your favorite adult beverage & join us for dinner, too, as you make your own predictions about who deserves to go home with the coveted statuette. Bring your friends over, fill out a ballot & celebrate with us on this star-studded evening. No cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

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

To post a comment, you must register and login.