The Times Square area cabaret Feinstein’s/54 Below is turning its stage over to a series of concerts showcasing up-and-coming theatre songwriters, called New Writers at 54!, curated by the club’s Creative and Programming Director Jennifer Ashley Tepper.
Songs from their in-development shows will be performed on various dates by Broadway stars including Jeremy Jordan, Okieriete Onaodowan, Kate Baldwin, Teal Wicks, Gideon Glick, Nick Blaemire, Lilli Cooper, Will Roland, Taylor Trensch, Nic Rouleau, Natalie Weiss, Adam Chanler-Berat, Ryan Silverman, Tony Sheldon, Emily Skeggs, Jarrod Spector, Sierra Boggess, and others to be announced.
Tepper told Playbill, “I chose the writers in the series to represent a variety of the wonderful original material being generated by new dramatists in 2017. We are lucky to be living in a time when so many talented writers are inspired by the medium of musical theatre. And at Feinstein's/54 Below, we are always proud to have writers at all points of their career presenting original work on our stage.”
She said she chose the writers based on seeing readings and productions, hearing demos, and experiencing their work in concert, both live and on YouTube. “Each writer has something unique and exciting to offer,” she said. “These are going to be 15 nights featuring work that you'll be proud to say you heard first—because the writers involved are going places!”
Here are the concerts in the series announced so far. These are partial lists of the performers; more are expected to be announced as the concert dates approach:
July 30: Songs by Julia Meinwald and Gordon Leary Featuring Ally Bonino (Myths & Hymns), Allie Trimm (Bye Bye Birdie, 13), Max Chernin (Bright Star), Emily Jenda (The Bodyguard, The Book of Mormon), Amy Linden (The Bridges of Madison County), Libby Servais (Wicked, Lysistrata Jones), and Phoebe Strole (Spring Awakening, Kung Fu, Glee). 7 PM
July 30: Alexander Sage Oyen Has Some New Material Featuring Max Chernin (Sunday in the Park with George, Bright Star), Allie Trimm (13, Bye Bye Birdie), Ethan Crystal (NBC’s The Sing-Off), Hannah Elless (Bright Star), Samantha Hill (The Phantom of the Opera), Monet Sabel (Sweeney Todd), Natalie Weiss (Everyday Rapture), and Elanna White (The Bad Years). 9:30 PM
July 31: The Songs of Sam Salmond, Adam Chanler-Berat (Next to Normal), Andrew Chappelle (Hamilton), Jason Gotay (Bring It On, Spider-Man), Molly Hager (Waitress), Blaine Krauss (Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812), Jo Lampert (Joan of Arc), John-Michael Lyles (Sweeney Todd), Shoba Narayan (Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812), Okieriete Onaodowan (Hamilton), Will Roland (Dear Evan Hansen), Taylor Trensch (Hello, Dolly!, Matilda), and Natalie Walker (Cabaret). Directed by Sarna Lapine (Sunday in the Park with George). 7 PM
August 2: More Songs from Eli Bolin Featuring Nick Blaemire (tick, tick…BOOM!, Godspell), Eddie Cooper (Little Shop of Horrors), Lilli Cooper (SpongeBob SquarePants, Spring Awakening), Juwan Crawley (Aladdin, Spamilton), Max Crumm (Grease, Disaster!), Gideon Glick (Significant Other, Spring Awakening), and Jed Resnick (Avenue Q). Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel. 9:30 PM
August 8: The Songs of Timothy Huang Featuring Jennifer Blood (Matilda), Marc de la Cruz (Pacific Overtures, If/Then), Priya Mahendra (Twisted), Nic Rouleau (The Book of Mormon), and Remy Zaken (Dear Evan Hansen, Spring Awakening). 9:30 PM
August 10: The Songs of Sam Willmott Featuring Kerstin Anderson (The Sound of Music), Angel Desai (Company), Salena Qureshi, and Tony Sheldon (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert). Directed by Sammi Cannold. 9:30 PM
August 13: The Creations of Katie Thompson Featuring Kate Baldwin (Hello, Dolly!, Big Fish), Britton Smith (Bella: An American Tall Tale, Shuffle Along…), Kirsten Wyatt (Annie, Elf), and Emma Stratton (Bullets Over Broadway). 7 PM
August 13: Ta-Da! The Lyrics of Eric Price Featuring Kelli Barrett (Dr. Zhivago, Wicked), Lilli Cooper (SpongeBob SquarePants, Spring Awakening), Hannah Corneau (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Sara Jean Ford (A Little Night Music, The Phantom of the Opera), Olli Haaskivi (Orange is the New Black), Erik Liberman (War Paint, LoveMusik), Jeremy Morse (Waitress), and Jarrod Spector (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Jersey Boys). 9:30 PM
August 14: The Songs of Kailey Marshall Featuring John-Michael Lyles (Sweeney Todd), Ashley D Kelley (Bella: An American Tall Tale), Will Roland (Dear Evan Hansen), and Katie Ladner (Sunset Boulevard). 9:30 PM
August 15: The River Is Me by Sukari Jones and Troy Anthony. 9:30 PM
August 19: In the Light by Michael Mott. Featuring Jeremy Jordan (Newsies, Supergirl, Smash), Ryan Silverman (The Phantom of the Opera, Side Show), Sierra Boggess (The Little Mermaid, The Phantom of the Opera), and Teal Wicks (Finding Neverland, Wicked, Jekyll & Hyde). 7 PM
August 27: The Songs of Ben Chavez and Yianni Papadimos Featuring PJ Adzima (The Book of Mormon), Adrienne Eller (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder), F. Michael Haynie (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Molly Jobe (Waitress), Julia Knitel (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Monet Sabel (Sweeney Todd), and Kuhoo Verma (Monsoon Wedding). 9:30 PM
August 28: Yandura & Melocik: The Revolution Will Be Expository Featuring Charity Angél Dawson (Waitress, Side Show), and Emily Walton (Peter and the Starcatcher, August: Osage County). 9:30 PM
August 30: Opening Numbers by Noel Carey Featuring Julia Mattison (Godspell) and Emily Skeggs (Fun Home). 9:30 PM
August 31: The Songs of Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair Featuring Natalie Charle Ellis (School of Rock) and Morgan Weed (American Psycho, The Last Five Years). 9:30 PM
Click here for a complete list of the writers, concerts, and other credits.
Tickets can be ordered at 54Below.com/NewWriters or by calling (646) 476-3551. Use code NEW20 when purchasing tickets to three or more shows in the series and receive 20 percent off selected tickets.
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