Nikki M. James, Sherrie Rene Scott & 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. 54 Below also launched its series of late night events. Joining Tuesday nights' popular "Backstage" with Susie Mosheris the "54 Piano Bar," a new vocal competition - "The Callback," and more:

Sherie Rene Scott, June 24, 26, 27 at 7PM, June 28 & 29 at 8PM, & June 28 & 29 at 11PM:

Sherie's back, front and center, for a limited two-week run of the highly-anticipated return engagement of her acclaimed show, Piece Of Meat. The New York Times raved, "I want to see it again and again!" It was called "One of the year's very best" by Time Out New York and praised for its "passion, wit and sincerity" by The Village Voice. Piece of Meat is an exhilarating show about human desires - carnal, culinary and otherwise - and Ms. Scott explores her singular storytelling and musical abilities with songs by Joni Mitchell, Paul McCartney, Talking Heads, Pete Townshend, Annie Lennox, Dire Straights, Buddy Holly, Kate Bush and Noah & The Whale, as well as original compositions by Music Director Todd Almond. The show features Musical Staging by Michele Lynch and Direction by Lear deBessonett. A multiple Tony Award loser/Obie and Lortel Award winner, Ms Scott's work off and on Broadway covers an array of well-loved productions including her own Everyday Rapture (co-written with Dick Scanlan), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, The Little Mermaid, Landscape of the Body, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Aida, Rent & The Who's Tommy. With Kurt Deutsch, she co-founded Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records, receiving Grammy Awards and nominations, plus a 2006 Drama Desk Award for dedication to the preservation of musical theatre through cast recordings. www.sherierenescott.com Cover charge $25-70. $25-30 food & beverage minimum.

Nikki M. James, June 24 at 9:30PM:

The Tony Award winning star of The Book of Mormon makes her cabaret & 54 below debut! Nikki M. James shares an evening of song and personal stories, including a mix of Broadway favorites, contemporary pop and a few surprises. In addition to her celebrated work in Mormon, Broadway audiences have embraced Nikki in All Shook Up and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. She'll soon star in the upcoming movie musical, Lucky Stiff. Cover charge $30-40. $25 food & beverage minimum.

LATE NIGHT: THE CALLBACK: FINALS, June 24 at 11PM:

At The Callback on Monday nights, contestants perform for a chance to win their own cabaret show at 54 Below. Contestants are chosen by video audition, their performances recorded and uploaded to 54 Below's Facebook and Youtube page, and each week, a winner is determined by audience vote to progress to the next round. "The Callback" contestants may also have the chance to sing in front of industry executives and Broadway celebrity guest judges as they move forward in the competition. For more information on "The Callback" rules or how to submit an audition video, please visit www.54Below.com. No cover charge. $20 food & beverage minimum.

WBGO JAZZ SERIES: CECILE MCLORIN SALVANT, June 25 at 7PM & 9PM:

French-American jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant is the hottest young jazz singer of our time. Celebrating her highly anticipated debut release, WomanChild (Mack Avenue, May 2013), the 2010 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition Winner has the critics beaming! Ben Ratliff writes in The New York Times "she sings clearly, with her full pitch range, from a pronounced low end to full and distinct high notes-her face conveys meaning, representing sorrow or serenity like a silent-movie actor." In the aftermath of her Monk Competition triumph, the jazz world eagerly awaited the winner's first US recording. Cécile answers that call with songs spanning three centuries of American music. See this jazz sensation as she headlines two special performances at 54 Below with her label mate pianist Aaron Diehl, Paul Sikivie on bass and Rodney Green on drums. Cover charge $25-35. $15 food & beverage minimum.

LATE NIGHT: BACKSTAGE, June 25 at 10:30PM:

Each week, Broadway cast members and audiences alike gather to mix and mingle at 54 Below, Broadway's most intimate haunt, located in the heart of the theatre district. Musical Director Brad Simmons keeps the house jumping from the piano, while host Susie Mosher (the love child of Joanne Worley & Paul Lynde) guides the crowd through an evening of music, mayhem and full throttle belting, with special guests from Broadway and beyond dropping in to perform. NPR had this to say: "The best thing happening right now might just be the weekly Backstage. Hosted by the ridiculously funny Susie Mosher and pianist Brad Simmons who clearly is the man, it's two feel-good hours among New York's theater people, who seem like they're having a really fine time. Can't recommend it highly enough!" At this week's Backstage is Andrew Kober (Hair), Drew Gasparini (composer/ "Smash"), ?Ariana DeBose (Motown, Bring It On), Michael Winther (Mamma Mia, 33 Variations),Jessica Hershberg (Baby It's You), Tyler Maynard (Silence The Musical, Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins), Trapper Felides (The Next Big Thing), Siren (Diva Power Trio), and Drew Overcash (composer). No cover charge. $20 food & beverage minimum.

MX. JUSTIN VIVIan Bond, June 26 & 27 at 9:30PM

For six nights in June, Justin VivIan Bond, under the Musical Direction of Emmy Award-winning composer Lance Horne, will be casting a LOVE spell at 54 below. Earn your merit badge on the ways of LOVE by entering a midsummer night's dreamscape of musical enchantment featuring a collection of songs with "LOVE" in the title made famous by a wide variety entertainers such as Lena Horne, Kate Bush, Cat Power, The Gossip, Bronski Beat and MORE! Get ready for the summer of love at 54 Below!... Viva L'Amour! Cover charge $25-35. $25 food & beverage minimum.

LATE NIGHT: THE STUDIO; JWS Sings BMI, June 26 at 11PM:

Creative Minds Unite! Jen Waldman Studio's fiercely talented performing artists collaborate with BMI's 2nd Year Class to offer an evening of fun, fearless, NEW and ORIGINAL work from the next generation of musical theatre writers! No cover charge. $20 food & beverage minimum.

LATE NIGHT: 15:54, June 27 at 11PM:

"15:54″ will unlock the doors for a weekly Thursday Late Night series featuring the best of New York City's cutting edge nightlife. Re-inventing the magic of Studio 54, Resident artists, performers, DJ's will serve you 15-minute sets at 54 Below. Upcoming artists and DJ sets include: Bridget Everett, Lance Horne, Corey Tut, Jamez Lopez, Lord Easy, Emma Dean, The Deep Pink, remixes by Quinn McCarthy, and The Creamery Studio. $15 cover charge includes your first drink (wine, beer, and well).

SONDHEIM UNPLUGGED, June 30 at 7PM:

A celebrated New York event since 2010, the Bistro Award-winning series Sondheim Unplugged features some of Broadway and cabaret's most dynamic voices, accompanied by piano only. Expect tunes from A Little Night Music, Company, Into the Woods, Follies, Passion, Dick Tracy and more. Past special guests have included original Sondheim cast members such as Len Cariou, Victoria Mallory & Donna McKechnie - so you never know who might drop in. Sondheim Unplugged is hosted by series creator Phil Geoffrey Bond, who will fill the audience in on Sondheimien facts, history & assorted tidbits of theatrical lore! Cover charge $20-30. $25 food & beverage minimum.

THE WOMEN OF JAZZ, June 30 at 9:30PM:

54 Below tips it's hat to the likes of Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday in an evening of smooth tunes from some of the most distinctive young jazz singers performing today. Join Kat Gang, Terese Genecco & LaTanya Hall as they wrap their spine-tingling vocals around classics such asThat 'Ol Black Magic, What a Difference a Day Makes, Mr. Wonderful & Strange Fruit, accompanied by the Barry Levitt Trio. We're chilling the martinis and turning up the sizzle! Cover charge $25-35. $25 food & beverage minimum.

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

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