Ute Lemper, Ben Platt, Telly Leung & More Coming to 54 Below Next Week

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

BEN PLATT, September 1 at 7PM:

He had the "Magic" in him onscreen as Benji Applebaum in Universal's smash hit Pitch Perfect, and he's currently starring on Broadway as Elder Cunningham in The Book of Mormon. Now, to celebrate finally making the move to NYC, Ben Platt comes to 54 Below to sing some of his favorites and share tales of Mormons, his fellow aca-people, and of course, his family of singing Jews. Expect everything from soul, to Pop and R&B to musical theatre and some special guests! $40-50 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

GRIND: THE MOVIE IN CONCERT WITH ANTHONY RAPP & MORE, September 1 at 9:30PM:

Fresh off the film festival circuit, and for the first time in concert, the musical short film Grind explores the ins and outs of connection in an online world with songs by Derek Gregor and Selda Sahin. Do we ever really know who we're talking to? Anthony Rapp (Rent, If/Then), Eric Michael Krop (Godspell), Calvin Grant (Rent), Natalie Weiss (Everyday Rapture), Matt Shingledecker (Spring Awakening, West Side Story), Danny Blu, Pasha Pellosie, Drew Brody and more take us on a musical journey of love and connection in an era where who we are is defined by who we pretend to be. $30-40 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

SMASHED UP: A LATE-NIGHT MASHUP BASH, September 1 at 11:30PM:

Join a cast of Broadway's brightest young talent, led by musical director Benjamin Rauhala, for an evening of wild mash-ups! From Bernstein to Bareilles, from Schwartz to Spears - audiences can expect an eclectic mix of pop and musical theater tunes, always with an unexpected twist. As the cast celebrates the end of the summer, audiences will enjoy new twists on tunes by Beyonce Elton John, Carole King, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Sara Bareilles, Britney Spears, John Lennon, Stephen Schwartz, Kelly Clarkson, Adele, Leonard Bernstein, Christina Aguilera, A Great Big World, Blu Cantrell and many more within the evening's medleys and mash-ups. The evening, produced and conceived by Benjamin Rauhala and Nick Savarese, is set to feature Lacey Angerosa, Michael Campayno (NBC's The Sound of Music), Ariana DeBose(Pippin), Steven Grant Douglas (Ghost national tour), Meghann Fahy (Next to Normal), Ben Fankhauser (Newsies), Jenna Leigh Green (Wicked), Ari Groover (Holler If You Hear Me), Hunter Ryan Herdlicka (A Little Night Music), Janet Krupin (If/Then), Steffanie Leigh (Mary Poppins),Taylor Louderman (Bring It On), Trevor McQueen (Annie Get Your Gun), Tara Minogue, Daniel Quadrino (Newsies), Ryann Redmond (If/Then), Chris Rice (The Book of Mormon), Nic Rouleau (The Book of Mormon), Nick Savarese, Jillian Soares, and Tess Soltau (Into The Woods), with more soon to be announced. $10 cover charge. $20 food & beverage minimum or two drinks.

UTE LEMPER, September 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 at 7PM:

Back by popular demand, 54 Below presents renowned international chanteuse and star of Broadway's Chicago Ute Lemper for a return engagement. The journey starts in Berlin with Ute's repertoire of Brecht and Weill and classic cabaret songs and travels to the poetic universe of Jacques Brel & Edith Piaf. Then, join Ute's voyage as she continues to Argentina and Tango Nuevo and walks the backstreets of Paris, Berlin, Buenos Aires and New York, where she's made her home for fifteen years now. Discover musical ghosts who have their own tales of loss, love, passion, survival, rebellion & opposition to tell. $40-50 cover charge for 9/2. $50-60 cover charge for 9/3, 9/4, 9/5 & 9/6. $25 food & beverage minimum.

ADAM B. SHAPIRO, September 2 at 9:30PM:

Adam B. Shapiro, the bearded, leather-loving teddy bear Bella from HBO's The Normal Heart, is making his 54 Below debut. A 2013 MAC Award winner for Musical Comedy performer, Adam premieres his newest show Nothing Normal, an eclectic mix of songs and stories celebrating the hilarious and precarious sides of life, including some anecdotes from behind the scenes of the movie. Working with MAC and Bistro Award winners Barry Levitt (Musical Director) and Peter Napolitano (Director), with the Barry Levitt Trio, Adam promises an evening of smiles and surprises, showing that, while he might not be normal, he's got a lot of heart. $25-35 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

VARLA JEAN MERMAN, September 3 & 4 at 9:30PM:

Back by popular demand! Varla Jean Merman is the purported love child of Ethel Merman and Ernest Borgnine. Returning to 54 Below, Varla Jean, aka Jeffery Roberson, unveils a show of hilarious songs, videos and fabulous costumes, featuring musical director Tom Judson at the piano. Jeffery starred in the musical Lucky Guy opposite Leslie Jordan in New York in 2011 at the Little Shubert Theatre, prompting The New York Times to rave, "If Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman had stood in front of the right pair of funhouse mirrors, they might have resembled Ms. Merman and Mr. Jordan in stature as well as comedic talent." This past year, Jeffery completed shooting the sequel to the camp classic film Girls Will Be Girls, and Varla Jean and the Mushroomheads is now available on www.SethTV.com. Off-Broadway audiences embraced Jeffrey when he played the title role in Giancarlo Menotti's opera The Medium. $35-45 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

CATHERINE LEFRERE, September 5 at 9:30PM:

Born in the wrong era, Catherine LeFrere was a character actress by the time she was 3 years old with inspirations that include Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Rosalind Russell, Ethel Merman, and Mary Martin. With her knock-out looks and old-school sensibilities, Catherine redefines what it is to be a working character actress on the stage and small screen and will explore this sentiment in her 54 Below debut. In addition to personal anecdotes, Catherine can be expected to sing fresh arrangements of songs written by Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Harold Arlen, Sara Bareilles, Sheldon Harnick, and Kander & Ebb (to name a few). Catherine was recently seen at The Gateway Playhouse playing Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street, directed by three-time Tony Award nominee Randy Skinner. Other favorite credits include the off-Broadway musical Unlock'd, the New York Stage & Film Festival's production of For Worse(directed by Mark Linn-Baker), and the television show Running Wilde (opposite Will Arnett). A proud graduate of Northwestern University, more on Catherine can be found at catherinelefrere.com. $25 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

AMY JO JACKSON, September 5 at 11:30PM:

Amy Jo Jackson invites you to share in a night of raucous revelry and high-class tomfoolery, as she takes you through a set list as eclectic as her wardrobe. From Aznovar to Sondheim to the Scissor Sisters, prepare for a wild ride with this unapologetically ferocious and singular performer. As an actress, Amy Jo has been seen Off-Broadway in Cole Porter's Nymph Errant and in multiple shows with the lauded Exit, Pursued by a Bear, as well as all around our fair country in everything from Into the Woods to The Rocky Horror Show. Also a highly successful Voice and Speech professional, she is the dialect coach on the Tony Award-winning Kinky Boots and the Voice and Text Director on the Drama Desk Award winning The Mysteries at The Flea. $15 cover charge. $20 food & beverage minimum or two drinks.

ELENA SHADDOW, September 6 at 9:30PM:

Broadway leading lady Elena Shaddow makes her 54 Below solo debut in an exciting evening dedicated to her favorite contemporary composers. Elena recently played Sister Sophia in the NBC live television event The Sound of Music, and played Francesca in The Bridges of Madison County. Her Broadway credits include Anne Dindon in La Cage Aux Folles, The Woman in White, Fiddler on the Roof, Nine, Sweet Smell of Success, and Les Miserables. She starred as Fanny in Fanny at City Center Encores, played Magnolia in Showboat at the Royal Albert Hall, and received a Helen Hayes Best Actress nomination for playing Clara in the first national tour of The Light in the Piazza. Possessing one of the most beautiful voices in theater today, Elena has had the good fortune to perform the works-on Broadway and regionally- of her favorite contemporary composers, to whom she pays tribute in this show Always Better: The New Golden Age of Musicals. Featuring guest stars Caitlin Kinnunen and Jessica Vosk. Music Direction by Georgia Stitt. $30-40 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

ASPECTS OF ANDREW: LLOYD WEBBER @ 54, September 7 at 7PM:

Cats. The Phantom of the Opera. Evita. Jesus Christ Superstar. Starlight Express. Sunset Boulevard. Aspects of Love. Song & Dance... the list goes on. 54 Below is delighted to tip our hat to the artistry of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, the celebrated composer who has left an indelible mark on Broadway, the West End & popular music. Featuring a rotating cast of some of Broadway and cabaret's best, Aspects of Andrew runs the gamut from the humor of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and By Jeeves, to the high-flying (adored) diva tunes that populate some of the most beloved musicals of the past half century. Turbans, masked deformity, roller skates, singing felines, love-starved hat designers, Mary Magdalene... expect it all at Aspects of Andrew. "Jellicle cats come out tonight!" Guests include: Farah Alvin, Scott Coulter, Lothair Eaton, Hunter Ryan Herdlicka, Maree Johnson, Hilary Kole, T. Oliver Reid, Brian Charles Rooney, Ereni Sevasti, Oliver Thorton, and Sally Wilfert. $30-40 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

TELLY LEUNG: A SONG FOR YOU, September 7 at 9:30PM:

Broadway & television's Telly Leung (Glee, Godspell, Rent) is back, after a year-long hiatus from the 54 Below stage, with a brand new show! A Song For You is an intimate evening of music; each song is a special dedication to the many people who have influenced Telly on his journey on and off the Broadway stage. This eclectic evening of great songs & personal showbiz anecdotes features the musical talents of Gary Adler (piano), Mary Ann McSweeney (bass) and Michael Croiter (drums). $35-45 cover charge. $25 food & beverage minimum.

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