Penn State Musical Theatre Performs at Feinstein's/54 Below

FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents the new musical The Last Day -Music by Mike Reid, lyrics by Sarah Schlesinger, book by Reid and Schlesinger. JohnSimpkins directs, with musical direction by Dan Riddle.

Commissioned by Penn State Musical Theatre and performed by the seniors in the program, TheLast Day is about a young man who has grown up tormented by a secret he has never shared.When he is accepted into an elite musical theatre performance ensemble at a major university, he believes he can finally realize his potential. But as his Junior year ends he is abusing drugs prescribed earlier in his life, isolating himself from his classmates and creating chaos for his peers. When he is dropped from the ensemble he believes they are responsible and sets out to destroy himself and to seek revenge. Through a troubled night, the other students in the ensemble help him to realize the value of his life and discover much they never realized about themselves.
The cast features Joseph Allen, Caitlin Belcik, Kevin Dort, Morgan Hecker, Julia Hemp,Samantha Littleford, Ben Nissen, Allsun O'Malley, Jonathan Savage, Talia Suskauer, Johnathan Teeling, and Maria Wirries. Mike Rosengarten joins on guitar and Jeremy Yaddaw on percussion.

The Last Day plays Feinstein's/54 Below (254 West 54th Street) on Saturday, January 27, 2018 at 9:30 p.m. There is a $25-$35 cover charge and $25 food and beverage minimum. Tickets andinformation are available at www.54Below.com. Tickets on the day of performance after 4:00 p.m. areonly available by calling (646) 476-3551.

MORE ABOUT REID/ SCHLESINGER AND PENN STATE MUSICAL THEATRE

Mike Reid and Sarah Schlesinger wrote In This House (with bookwriter Jonathan Bernstein)and Wind In The Willows (with bookwriter Mindi Dickstein.) Both shows had their world premieres at Two River River Theatre Company. They have also written the score for Casanova Returns, anew musical based on the life of Casanova, which won the Global Search for New Musicals and has been developed by Stage Entertainment in Hamburg, Germany. The team's opera DifferentFields was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera Guild. Mike and Sarah have received the Kleban Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, a Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Theater FoundationAward, the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award, and Chicago's Jeff Award for best original musical. Mike is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter with more than 30 Top-Ten pop and country hits recorded by artists including Bonnie Raitt ("I Can't Make You Love Me"), Anita Baker,Kenny Rogers, Wynonna, Alabama, Willie Nelson, Adele, Jennifer Nettles, Joe Cocker, Bette Midler, Kenny Chesney and Tim McGRaw. Sarah is the Associate Dean of Performing Arts and the Chair of the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

The Penn State Musical Theatre New Works Initiative is a yearly commission where writers meet and draw inspiration from the student artists for whom they are writing. The project includes a year-long development period and culminates in a concert in New York and a full reading on campus. Possibilities exist to continue into production at Penn State and then professional co production with a Regional or New York Theatre. Current commissions also include Joe Iconis (Love in Hate Nation - premiering at Penn State in February, 2018) and Kirsten Childs.

MORE ABOUT FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW

Feinstein's/54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, is a performance venue in the grand tradition of New York City nightlife. A few blocks from the heart of TimesSquare and just below the legendary Studio 54, Feinstein's/54 Below is a classically designed state-of-the art nightclub in the theatre district that hosts audiences with warmth and style.Feinstein's/54 Below presents iconic and rising stars from the worlds of Broadway and popular music and has set a new standard for culinary excellence worthy of the world-class entertainment on the stage.
In their description of the venue, The New York Times writes, "Feinstein's/54 Below has theintimacy of a large living room with unimpeded views and impeccable sound; there is not a badseat in the house. Its sultry after-hours ambience is enhanced by brocade-patterned wall panelsplanted with orange-shaded lanterns. And the atmosphere is warmer and sexier than inManhattan's other major supper clubs."
Located at 254 West 54th Street, Feinstein's/54 Below features up to three shows nightly with cover charges ranging from $5-$105. 54Below.com/Feinsteins

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