Klea Blackhurst Joins THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE in Concert at Feinstein's/54 Below

Klea Blackhurst, star of cabaret, nightclubs, and musical theater, has joined the cast of THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE In Concert, to be presented for one night only at Feinstein's/54 Below (254 West 54th Street) on Thursday, June 19 at 9:30 pm. The show is being produced and will be hosted by journalist/theater historian Michael Portantiere, with musical direction by Michael Lavine. There is a $30-$40 cover charge and Premium seats are $65 and VIP seating at $50. There is a $25 food and beverage minimum. An Additional $6.00 if purchased at the venue. Please note: all guests will be required to show proof of vaccination before entering the club.

Klea Blackhurst has received accolades and awards for her performances in some of the top live music venues in NYC, including Birdland, the Cafe Carlyle, and Joe's Pub at The Public Theater. Klea has been lauded for her solo performances and for her collaborations with such notables at Billy Stritch and Jim Caruso. She made her Carnegie Hall debut starring with Michael Feinstein in an evening devoted to the work of composer Jule Styne, and she will be co-starring in the new musical The Nutty Professor at the Ogunquit Playhouse this summer.

The Rodgers & Hart classic musical comedy "THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE" In Concert stars as the identical twin Antipholus brothers the real-life identical twins John and Matthew Drinkwater, the young musical duo who have become stars of the internet and have performed at major New York venues including Birdland, Feinstein's/54 Below, The Green Room 42, The Town Hall, and Don't Tell Mama. The event will showcase such Broadway talent as Leah Horowitz (FOLLIES, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, LES MISERABLES), Jay Aubrey Jones (CATS, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING). Also starring Katie Dixon as Luciana, Kenny Rahtz as Dromio, Janet Fanale as Luce, and Sara DiPasquale as a Courtesan, plus special appearance by Forbidden Broadway alum/Sirius XM radio star Christine Pedi.

The Boys from Syracuse has music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, is based on William Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, adapted by George Abbott. The show was the first musical based on a Shakespeare play. Well-known songs include "This Can't Be Love", "Sing For Your Supper" and "Falling In Love With Love". The Broadway show premiered in 1938 and Off-Broadway in 1963. Later productions are a 1963 West End run and Broadway revival in 2002, and a film in 1940. George Abbott directed and George Balanchine choreographed the original production, which opened at the Alvin Theater after tryouts in New Haven, Connecticut and Boston.

Michael Portantiere (producer/host) is a theater critic and essayist and a panelist for BroadwayRadio's "This Week on Broadway" podcasts, presented by BroadwayStars.com. He is the founder and editor of CastAlbumReviews.com. He has worked as an editor and writer for InTheater magazine and Back Stage, and he was Editor in Chief of TheaterMania.com. Michael has written for Playbill, The Sondheim Review, Everything Sondheim, W42ST magazine, and NPR.com. He is on the commentary tracks for the DVD and Blu-Ray editions of the film The King and I, and he has written notes for cast recordings of Little Me, The Most Happy Fella, and the New York Philharmonic's Sweeney Todd with George Hearn and Patti LuPone. He is also a theater photographer whose photos have been published in The New York Times and other major publications.

Michael Lavine (musical director/pianist) has worked world-wide as a musical director, pianist, vocal coach and singer. He musically directed a concert of the works of Stephen Schwartz, featuring Stephen himself and a star-studded cast. He produced and musically directed Rediscovered Hamlisch, a CD of previously unrecorded songs by Marvin Hamlisch, featuring Kelli O'Hara and other Broadway stars. He conducted The Little Mermaid at Lyric Theatre (starring Emily Skinner), and was musical director for the York Theatre Company's Billion Dollar Baby (starring Kristin Chenoweth, Marc Kudisch and Debbie Gravitte) and Carmelina. At the Kennedy Center, he shared the stage with Mimi Hines and Peter Howard (his mentor) in the Rodgers & Hart revue This Funny World. A graduate of Columbia University, Michael owns one of the largest privately held sheet music collections in the world. In addition, he gives master classes on song performance and auditioning.

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