Known to the NYC theater community as “Broadway’s Living Room,” the Tony Award-winning venue 54 Below – an intimate cabaret club that opened in 2012, in the cellar beneath what was the legendary Studio 54 discotheque (1977-80), which, in 1998, was converted to a Broadway theater – is launching a new tradition on March 23, with The First Annual 54 Below Gala, a star-studded event celebrating its transition to non-profit status in Spring 2023, in support of its mission to preserve and to expand the art of cabaret.
Featuring a welcome toast, passed canapés, an open bar, a three-course dinner, a live auction of valuable prizes for guests to bid on, and performances, under the music direction of Benjamin Rauhala, by a roster of Broadway’s greatest voices, it’s no surprise that tickets to the in-person event sold out within 48 hours of being released. But for those who couldn’t secure tickets in time or couldn’t make it to NYC for the one-night-only gala, the concert will be streamed live for the price of $54, making it accessible around the world and available to enjoy in the comfort of your own living room.
Bringing their songs, stories, and extraordinary talent to the gala are Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe Award winner Darren Criss (Maybe Happy Ending, The Assassination of Gianni Versace, Glee); Tony nominee Oscar winner Ariana DeBose (Spielberg’s West Side Story, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Hamilton); Tony nominees Joe Iconis (Be More Chill, The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical), Jeremy Jordan (Floyd Collins, Disney’s Newsies, The Great Gatsby), and Norm Lewis (The Phantom of the Opera, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Chicken & Biscuits); Grammy Award and Cabaret Legend Marilyn Maye (The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Cabaret); Outer Critics Circle honoree Krysta Rodriguez (Seared, Smash, Into The Woods, Spring Awakening); and Tony, Emmy, and two-time Grammy winner and best-selling author Marc Shaiman (Hairspray, Some Like It Hot, Only Murders in the Building, Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories from a Sore Winner), making it what’s sure to be a night to remember and an event to look forward to in upcoming years.
The First Annual 54 Below Gala plays on Monday, March 23, 2026, at 8 pm, at 54 Below, 254 West 54th Street, cellar, NYC. In-person tickets are sold out and the wait list is full; for livestream tickets (priced at $54, including fees), go online. Please note that the livestream is available in real time only and will not be offered on demand afterwards.
