Photos: Kira Stone LET ME REINTRODUCE MYSELF at Feinstein's/54 Below

As the great staff of Feinstein's/54 Below changed over the dining room from an earlier performer's show, preparing for the sold-out crowd eagerly awaiting entry into the venue, Kira Stone walked through the tables toward the stage. She paused, took that deep breath (as every performer does before the start of their show), and just smiled. She smiled with a sense of excitement. She smiled with a sense of accomplishment. She smiled knowing what was about to happen would be epic for the audience. Before heading to the dressing rooms to meet the rest of the cast and get ready, Kira Stone stopped to introduce herself to me. The takeaway from that short interaction: the night was going to be a celebration. The room started to fill, table by table, and so did the excitement.

At 9:45 pm the house lights dimmed, and the announcer proclaimed, "54 Below would like to introduce Kira Stone and her show Let Me Reintroduce Myself." As the night progressed, I couldn't stop thinking that this title seemed to be a misnomer. What Ms. Stone demonstrated throughout the night was that no introduction was necessary for this highly talented composer, songwriter, and performer. Kira also exhibited the ability to create a cabaret show by surrounding herself with the same level of talent, a mix of well-established artists, and some up-and-comers. Let Me Reintroduce Myself focused on two of Kira's projects, the first being SALEM, which is based on the 1692 witch trials from the perspective of six of the witches. The second of Stone's creations is a collaboration with author Sara Cooper called BUILT FOR THIS about the sexual abuse scandal that rocked the US Olympic Gymnastics teams.

The opening number, How I Plead (featuring Kira Stone, Alexandra Berube, Brianna Stoute, Maria Bilbao, Crystal Lake Evans, and Erica Ito) was a powerful, upbeat song stating the cases and story of the six witches. Carson Stewart, Khailah Johnson, Ean Castellanos showcased their vocal abilities in their solo songs, with Castellanos delivering a Hamilton-esque, rap-styled The Good Guy. Morgan Dudley joined Kira Stone in a duet of In Heaven/In Hell. The final number (from Salem) was Worst Nightmare, giving Alexandra Berube and Brianna Stoute the chance to showcase their vocal talents, and closing out the segment centered around Salem.

The second half of the evening was dedicated to Built for This. While the story and songs from Salem required the audience to use their imagination to go back to the 1600s, Built for This put everyone right into the middle of a horrific present-day tragedy surrounding the US Olympic Gymnastics team. All songs were focused on the struggles, strength, and empowerment the gymnast had to deal with (or find) in the face of sexual abuse, and the blind eyes of everyone involved that should have protected the young athletes. The titles of the songs clearly defined their message: Erica Ito was center stage to sing Built for This and was joined by Kira Stone to sing Backbone, Crystal Lake Evans belted out Gaslight before Isabelle McCalla and stage veteran Jane Bruce dug deep and provided emotional performances of Stainless (McCalla) and Not In My Body (Bruce) respectfully.

The program, produced by Evan Schild with musical director, Emily Marshall, provided the audience a great glimpse into projects with the potential to become hit musicals. This reporter would highly recommend checking out Kira Stone and her music the next time they are presented live. Though designed to "reintroduce" Kira Stone to the audience, the evening would be more appropriately labeled a celebration of her work.

---Tom Salus

Find other great shows to see on the 54 Below website HERE.

Kira Stone has a website HERE.

Thomas Salus is a New Jersey/New York-based photographer specializing in theater and sports photography. For close to ten years, Tom has been providing his photo talents to community and larger regional theaters, supporting their productions, and highlighting the performers through his images. In addition to theater, he works with area professional, college, and high schools sport teams to capture the action on their stages. Tom has worked with New York-based Cabaret artists, freelanced for local newspapers, and worked with organizations like Little League International. Tom's photography started when he and his wife Kelly were raising their four children and capturing moments of their theater and sports accomplishments. Tom is excited to be working with Broadway World as a contributing photographer and getting the opportunity to photograph some of the most amazing talent in that artistic community. Thomas Salus can be found on Instagram HERE and at his website HERE

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