Good news is in for nightclub aficionados and theater-lovers who truly believe that “life is a cabaret!” After a fifteen-month closure due to COVID-19, Feinstein’s/54 Below has announced that its famous red door will reopen on Thursday, June 17, and has released its star-studded summer 2021 line-up. Along with the spectacular calendar of shows, proprietors Steve Baruch, Richard Frankel, and Tom Viertel are also unveiling a new menu created by Consulting Chef Harold Dieterle, Season One winner of Bravo’s popular culinary competition show Top Chef.
Even better news is that Be More Chill luminaries George Salazar and Joe Iconis will be returning to their home-away-from-home to reopen the club with the latest reboot of their blockbuster cabaret act Two-Player Game, playing on opening night and the week that follows, with a total of six shows scheduled from June 17-24, at 7 pm. In case you need a reminder of why they sell out for every single performance, here’s one of the many reasons – their smashing rendition of “Michael in the Bathroom” from the April 2016 installment of the show (a song that’s had millions upon millions upon millions of well-deserved online views):
Two-Player Game is sure to be an “awesome party” that will leave you saying “I’m so glad I came.” For tickets (on sale to the general public on Friday, May 21, at 12 pm), go online (and my suggestion is to do it right away, while they’re still available).
Following the premiere 7:00 show, the fabulous multi-hyphenate star and activist Shakina Nayfack (Hulu’s Difficult People; Chonburi International Hotel and Butterfly Club on Audible) graces the opening-night stage with Whatever Gets You Through It, with music direction by Jacob Yates, beginning at 9:45. She will be joined by special guest Lauren Marcus (Be More Chill; Love in Hate Nation), as she shares largely unheard songs and stories of keeping the faith and reawakening relationships through the hard work of the heart.
The opening weekend also includes Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Award winner Larry Owens (A Strange Loop) performing Sondheimia – an exploration of time, love, and ambition through the music and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim – on Saturday, June 19 (and returning on July 9 and 31) at 9:45 pm, and culminates in Our New York Renaissance! A Celebration in Song! at 9:45, on Sunday, June 20, with impresario Scott Siegel and his hand-chosen cast of sensational Broadway and nightclub stars. The music will punctuate the emotional return of live shows to NYC, with famous songs that reflect the love of all things New York, the greatness of the City, the resilience of New Yorkers, and the power of music to inspire.
Upcoming summer shows will feature Derrick Baskin, Liz Callaway, André De Shields, Michael Feinstein, Amber Iman, Michael R. Jackson, Andy Karl and Orfeh, Bonnie Milligan, Joe Iconis, Marilu Henner, Christy Altomare, Jelani Remy, Adam Pascal, Alice Ripley, Charlie Rosen, Emily Skinner, and more, with additional performers to be added in the coming weeks.
Feinstein’s/54 Below is located at 254 West 54th Street, cellar, NYC. Tickets are on sale now to Club 54 Members, and will be accessible to the general public on Friday, May 21, at 12 pm. Be advised that, for Covid-19 safety reasons, all acts playing this summer are currently limited to a maximum of six artists on stage, subject to changes in social-distancing guidelines. For more information and a full schedule, visit the website, or call (646) 476-3551.
