Fall is in full swing on and off-Broadway, and a ton of our favorite stage performers are in town and ready to take the stage at 54 Below. Get your calendar out, and read on for Broadway.com’s countdown of the hottest shows at 54 Below in October!
10. Krystal Joy Brown Steps Into the Light with Bobby Steggert
Krystal Joy Brown and Bobby Steggert play the happily married Josephine and Will Bloom eight times a week in Broadway's Big Fish, and for one night only, on October 13, Brown will welcome Steggert as her special guest in a can't-miss cabaret show. The actress shares personal stories and performs original songs and popular hits, plus duets with her Broadway co-star. This is one "leap of faith" you don't have to be shy about taking.
9. This One Time at Camp, There Was a Movie Musical Reunion
Way before Glee, the teens of the 2003 cult hit film Camp bared their souls and offered their interpretations of songs from Company, Dreamgirls and more. On October 4, director Todd Graff and actors Robin De Jesus, Sasha Allen and more will reunite for a 10th anniversary screening and talkback. If you remember the first time you went to Camp, this promises to be the best Friday night ever.
8. Jarrod Spector Gets a Little Help from the King and Queen
After the pre-Broadway run of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Jarrod Spector (who plays Barry Mann in the new show) launches a new concert inspired by great singers who influenced him, from Frankie Valli (Spector starred as the Four Seasons lead in Jersey Boys for six years!), King of Pop Michael Jackson and Queen's Freddie Mercury. Don't miss this salute to rock royalty, which begins a four-performance run on October 27.
7. Lindsay Mendez & Sierra Boggess Act Like Princesses
Once upon a time (10 years ago), in a faraway land (Seattle), two songbirds (Lindsay Mendez and Sierra Boggess) came together in a musical about spoiled private school girls forced to put on a show (David Zippel's Princesses the Musical). Now, Mendez and Boggess, along with Patti Murin, Brent Barrett and more, are reuniting for a Princesses concert on October 21. Still jonesing for that Mean Girls musical? This should tide you over.
6. Joanna Gleason Makes a Magical NYC Cabaret Debut
Not a day goes by without some tidbit emerging about the upcoming Into the Woods movie, but this month, we've got on our eye on the original Baker's Wife: Joanna Gleason. The charismatic Tony winner is making her NYC cabaret debut on October 9, joined by the string quartet Well Strung. Look for Gleason to serenade fans with songs by Billy Joel, David Frishberg ("My Attorney Bernie"), Johnny Mathis ("Chances Are") and more.
5. Sweeney Todd Takes Off Into the Woods
A perfect musical mashup is on tap for Halloween night: a spooky combo platter of songs from Stephen Sondheim's masterworks Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods. Some of Broadway and cabaret’s most supernaturally talented performers and musicians will come together to delight fans with songs sung by witches, giants and a demon barber. Spend All Hallow's Eve with some of musical theater's spookiest characters.
4. Billy Porter, Annaleigh Ashford & More Spread the Kinky Love
It helps to have talented friends! Will Van Dyke, associate music director of Kinky Boots, is bringing his own music to the stage on October 14 in a concert featuring Kinky's Billy Porter and Annaleigh Ashford, Spider-Man’s Jason Gotay, Mormon’s Matt Doyle and more. Featuring tracks from the album Chasing the Day: The Music of Will Van Dyke, the show features an eight-piece band led by Van Dyke himself.
3. Go on a First Date with Zachary Levi & Krysta Rodriguez
Zachary Levi, Krysta Rodriguez and the cast of the Broadway musical First Date are celebrating the release of their original cast album with a one-night-only benefit concert on October 15. Proceeds will go to Operation Smile, a charity supported by Levi, who stars as the tightly wound Aaron opposite Rodriguez’s cool girl Casey. Savor this tuneful score by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner in a cabaret setting.
2. L5Y's Betsy Wolfe & Adam Kantor Are Getting Back Together
Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years returned to rave reviews last spring at Second Stage, and fans will get to revisit the musical yet again in four concerts beginning October 16. Revival stars Adam Kantor and Betsy Wolfe reprise their roles as Jamie and Cathy to celebrate the new cast recording from Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records, with the composer at the piano for the first two performances.
1. Lesli Margherita, Derek Klena & More Toast Ryan Scott Oliver
Ryan Scott Oliver becomes the toast of 54 Below on October 7 when RSO FEST, a series of concerts showcasing three musicals by the composer and lyricist, begins. First up is the multimedia 35MM: A Musical Exhibition, based on photographs by Gotta Dance! photog Matthew Murphy, which features performances by Matilda's Lesli Margherita, Wicked's Derek Klena, Annie's Jenni Barber and many more.