SONDHEIM ORIGINALS: OLD FRIENDS Set for 54 Below This Weekend

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Broadway favorites Ann Morrison ("Merrily We Roll Along"), Pamela Myers ("Company") & Chip Zien ("Into The Woods") in "SONDHEIM ORIGINALS - OLD FRIENDS" this weekend, January 16 & 17, 2015. These three original Sondheim cast members share songs and stories, recalling their experiences creating their roles in these landmark musicals on Broadway. The show is conceived and directed by Grammy and Emmy Award winner, John McDaniel, as part of his second season as artistic director of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's Cabaret and Performance conference.

"SONDHEIM ORIGINALS: OLD FRIENDS" stars the original O'Neill Theater Center cast, Ann Morrison, the original Mary Flynn in "Merrily We Roll Along", Pamela Myers, the original Marta in "Company" & Chip Zien, the original Baker in "Into The Woods". Music direction is by Mark Hartman. The music arrangements were created by Mark Hartman and John McDaniel.

"SONDHEIM ORIGINALS: OLD FRIENDS" plays 54 Below (254 West 54th Street) on Friday & Saturday, January 16 & 17, 2015 at 7:00pm. There is a $35-$45 cover charge, with premium seating at $80 as well as a $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.

ANN MORRISON made her Broadway debut as Mary Flynn in Stephen Sondheim's MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG directed by Harold Prince for which she won the 1982 Theatre World Award. In 2007, Harold Prince asked her to return to Broadway in LOVEMUSIK. On the West End in London, she starred in the new musical PEG (based on "Peg O' My Heart"). Off-Broadway she received a Drama Desk Award Nomination for the role of Lizzie in the musical GOBLIN MARKET, and was an original cast member of the popular revue FORBIDDEN BROADWAY. In Los Angeles, she starred in ANYONE CAN WHISTLE and won a Drama-Logue Award for BLAME IT ON THE MOVIES II. Last year, Annie was given an encore performance at United Solo Festival with her newest solo play WORD PAINTING: Soliloquies Around an Easel and also recently played the Witch in Sondheim's Into the Woods for Free Fall theatre.

PAMELA MYERS is the first graduate of the famed Musical Theater Program at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. Upon graduation she was cast in COMPANY for which she was nominated for a TONY AWARD. She recently came full circle with the composer of COMPANY, Stephen Sondheim, starring in the regional Premiere of SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM at Great Lakes Theatre Festival. She has also starred in regional theaters around the country in such shows as HAROLD AND MAUDE, GYPSY, SWEENEY TODD, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, I DO I DO, ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, STEEL MAGNOLIAS and back to Broadway for the revival of INTO THE WOODS. She had the pleasure of working with Charles Schulz creating the role of Peppermint Patty in SNOOPY. She appeared with Marvin Hamlisch and Jerry Herman on IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE on PBS and guest starred on numerous TV shows such as HAPPY DAYS, ALICE, STARSKY AND HUTCH, MAJOR DAD and SHA NA NA. She has guest starred with the BOSTON POPS, the CINCINNATI POPS and the CARNEGIE HALL TRIBUTE TO JUDY GARLAND. She loves teaching Musical Theater Performance as well as Cabaret Performance, which she did for four summers at the Yale Cabaret Seminar. She is the mother of a terrific son and makes her home in Cincinnati.

CHIP ZIEN created the central role of the Baker in Sondheim/Lapine's award-winning INTO THE WOODS (L.A. Drama-Logue Award, Outer Critics nomination) and also created the role of Mendel in William Finn's highly acclaimed FALSETTOS. Most recently he was seen on B'way in Douglas Hughes' THE BIG KNIFE, The Roundabout's THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE, Mike Nichols' THE COUNTRY GIRL and as Thenardier in the revival of Les Miserables. He appeared in Tommy Tune's GRAND HOTEL playing Otto Kringelein, the memorable dancing bookkeeper. Other Broadway credits include, THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE, CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, ALL OVER TOWN directed by Dustin Hoffman THE SUICIDE with Derek Jacobi. Mr. Zien began his long association with William Finn in the New York premier of IN TROUSERS, the first Marvin musical, at Playwrights Horizons playing Marvin and appeared thereafter in the original productions of MARCH OF THE FALSETTOS and FALSETTOLAND. Mr. Zien also starred in the La Jolla reworking of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG (L.A. Drama- Logue Award).

MARK HARTMAN (Music Director and Arrangements) 54 Below: 54 Below Sings James Taylor, Cyndi Lauper, Joni Mitchell, Big River, and Merrily We Roll Along; Sondheim Unplugged, Nikki MacCallum, and Seth Sikes. Broadway: Sondheim On Sondheim, Avenue Q, Miss Saigon, 1776 (Roundabout). Off-B'way: Pageant! (Davenport Theatre), Silence! The Musical (fringeNYC, Theater 80, PS122, and Elektra Theater!), Finian's Rainbow (Irish Rep and Westport), The Fantasticks (Sullivan St. and Orbach Theaters). Tour: Guys And Dolls (Big League SETA Tour), Pippin (Goodspeed, Nat'l Tour), The Irish...and How They Got That Way (Irish Rep/Frankel). Regional: Into the Woods, Assassins, Cabaret (PlayMakers Repertory Company) 9 to 5, A Christmas Carol (North Shore - 2010 IRNE Award Nom), Working: The Musical (Broadway in Chicago, Old Globe, Asolo Rep), Grey Gardens (Cape Playhouse), Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life (Old Globe). Concerts: Oliver! (Brian Stokes Mitchell), Camelot (Jeremy Irons), Brigadoon (Danieley, Errico), Rags (20th Anniversary), Pippin (Ben Vereen), Children of Eden (NYC premiere). Cast Recordings: Pageant, Silence!, Sondheim On Sondheim, Dear Edwina, After The Ball, Finian's Rainbow (Irish Rep), Avenue Q, NEO, Watch Your Step!, That's The Ticket!, Look Ma I'm Dancin'. Mark is the recipient of two MAC Awards and the Backstage Bistro Award for Music Direction. He will return in 2015 for his third appearance as a Music Director at the O'Neill Cabaret and Performance Conference, under the direction of John McDaniel.

JOHN McDANIEL (Director and Arrangements) is a Grammy and two-time Emmy Award winning Music Director, Composer, Arranger, Orchestrator, Theatrical and Record Producer and is the new Artistic Director of the O'Neill Theater Center's Cabaret and Performance conference. Broadway credits include Bonnie & Clyde (Drama Desk Nomination, Best Orchestrations), Catch Me If You Can, Brooklyn (Producer and Orchestrator), Annie Get Your Gun (Grammy Award, cast album Producer), Taboo, Chicago, Grease, Patti LuPone on Broadway and Company - the Original Cast in Concert at Lincoln Center. John is perhaps best known as the band leader on The Rosie O'Donnell Show for its entire 6 year run, for which he won 2 Emmy Awards. Recent credits include Daughter of the Regiment (Opera Theatre of St. Louis), Happy Days (National Tour), Pirates! (St. Louis Muny Opera). John was music director & arranger for concert appearances with Cab Calloway, Shirley MacLaine, George Burns, Al Jarreau, Tyne Daly, Joel Grey, Carol Burnett and Frederica von Stade, Betty Buckley and most recently, Bette Midler. He has been guest conductor at many Symphony Orchestras, including San Francisco, Indianapolis, Phoenix, Buffalo, Colorado, Baltimore and his hometown St. Louis Symphony. He holds a BFA in Drama from Carnegie Mellon.

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