More Cabaret from Feinstein’s/54 Below

Last month we highlighted one of New York’s most ambitious schedule of streaming cabaret events. There’s now more cabaret from Feinstein’s/54 Below and we’re sharing this week’s highlights with you. Each event becomes available at 6:30 PM EDT/3:30 PM PDT on their YouTube Channel.

The Year of Living Dangerously – May 12th

It never occurred to me that Peter Weir’s 1982 film The Year of Living Dangerously would make a good musical. But I have to admit, it never occurred to me that it wouldn’t. Thomas Tierney and Jeffrey Haddow have adapted the novel by Christopher J. Koch and this is a concert presentation of the musical.

Scarlett Strallen (A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder) takes on the role of Jill, played in the film by Sigourney Weaver. She’s a homesick attaché at the British Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia in 1965. Guy Hamilton, played in the film by Mel Gibson, is an Australian reporter covering the events there as the nation teeters on the edge of revolution. Kevin Earley (A Tale of Two Cities) plays this part. An in the role of Billy Kwan, the diminutive Australian-Chinese photojournalist, is Marc delaCruz (If Then.) Filmgoers might remember that this is the part for which Linda Hunt won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Andy Karl and Orfeh: Legally Bound – May 14th

We previously wrote about this show when married couple Andy Karl and Orfeh performed at Feinstein’s at Vitello’s. You can read the show’s description here.

Joe Iconis and Family – May 15th

When Be More Chill opened on Broadway last spring, it became almost a cult musical. Its fans and followers were devastated when the show didn’t reach a broader audience and closed in August. Joe Iconis wrote the music and lyrics for the musical.

When he isn’t writing musicals, he’s often found on the stage at Feinstein’s/54Below performing with his “family.” By family we mean his extended family. In this concert from May of 2019, his family included his Be More Chill cast members George Salazar, Morgan Siobhan Green, Gerard Canonico, Lauren Marcus and Jason SweetTooth Williams, plus Annie Golden, Krysta Rodriguez, Nick Blaemire and over a dozen more performers.

For fans of Iconis’ work, according to his website he has three musicals in development: The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical, Punk Rock Girl and Love In Hate Nation.

54 Sings Grand Hotel: The 25th Anniversary Concert – May 17th

In 1990, Grand Hotel was nominated for 12 Tony Awards including Best Musical. It won five of those awards including two for Director/Choreographer Tommy Tune and one for the late Michael Jeter for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show, original cast members Liliane Montevecchi, Karen Akers, Tim Jerome, Walter Willison, Brent Barrett, Ben George, David Jackson, Ken Jennings, Hal Robinson, Meg Tolin Piper, David White, Penny Worth and Chip Zien reunited to sing the songs of Robert Wright, George Forrest and Maury Yeston. They are joined in this concert by Michael Choi, Bill Coyne, Joshua Dixon, Erin Marie, Nathan Meyer, Chelsie Nectow, Michael Jayne Walker and Jackie Washam.

There’s even More Cabaret from Feinstein’s/54 Below next week. Check back for updates!

Photo Joe Iconis by Ben Arons/Courtesy of Joe Iconis’ website