54 Below is a cabaret and restaurant in the basement of

Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theater and a former disco nightclub at 254 West 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Operated by the Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54 has 1,006 seats on two levels. The theater w ...

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildi ...

, New York City. Owned by

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

producers Steve Baruch, Richard Frankel, Marc Routh and Tom Viertel, 54 Below has hosted shows by such performers as

Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of F ...

Ben Vereen Benjamin Augustus Vereen (born October 10, 1946) is an American actor, dancer and singer. Vereen gained prominence for his performances in the original Broadway productions of the musicals '' Jesus Christ Superstar'', for which he received a T ...

Sierra Boggess Sierra Marjory Boggess (; born May 20, 1982) is an American theater actress and singer. She is best known for originating the role of Ariel in ''The Little Mermaid'' on Broadway, and for her multiple appearances as Christine Daaé in ''The Phan ...

Lea Salonga Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga (; born February 22, 1971), known professionally as Lea Salonga, is a Filipino singer, actress, and columnist. Nicknamed "Pride of the Philippines," she is best known for her roles in musical theatre, for supplyi ...

Marilyn Maye Marilyn Maye McLaughlin (born April 10, 1928) is an American jazz singer, cabaret singer, and musical theater actress. She began her career as a young child, performing in Kansas in concerts and on the radio. After graduating from high school, ...

, Luann de Lesseps and

Barbara Cook Barbara Cook (October 25, 1927 – August 8, 2017) was an American actress and singer who first came to prominence in the 1950s as the lead in the original Broadway musicals '' Plain and Fancy'' (1955), ''Candide'' (1956) and ''The Music Man'' ( ...

History

54 Below opened on June 3, 2012, as 54 Below. Its designers include architect Richard H. Lewis, set designer John Lee Beatty, lighting designer

Ken Billington Ken Billington (born October 29, 1946) is an American lighting designer. He began his career in New York City working as an assistant to Tharon Musser. He was born in White Plains, New York, the son of Kenneth Arthur (an automobile dealer) and ...

, and sound designer Peter Hylenski. Scott Wittman also serves as Creative Consultant. Jennifer Ashley Tepper serves as the Director of Programming at 54 Below. 54 Below features a variety of musical artists and styles, including musical theatre, opera, and jazz, the last of which was featured in a series co-produced with WBGO. In September 2015, 54 Below announced a creative alliance with performer and singer, pianist, and music revivalist Michael Feinstein, becoming Feinstein's/54 Below. This partnership ended in July 2022, and the club reverted to the name 54 Below. At the

75th Tony Awards The 75th Tony Awards were held on June 12, 2022, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2021–22 season. The ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with Ariana DeBose serving as host of the main cerem ...

54 Below was the recipient of a 2022 Tony Awards Honor for Excellence in the Theatre.

Awards

* 2013 BroadwayWorld New York Cabaret Award **

: Show of the Year (''Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda'') ** Sondheim Unplugged: Best Variety Show/Recurring Series **

Terri White Terri White is an American actress and singer. Career The daughter of traveling musicians Bill White and Gertrude Hughes, White has appeared in '' Nunsense 2: The Sequel'' (1994), '' Ain't Misbehavin (1978), '' Barnum'' (1980), '' Welcome to ...

: Best One-Show Special Event (''Blues to Broadway'') ** Alex Rybeck: Best Musical Director for Sibling Revelry with the Callaway Sisters ** Jackie Hoffman: Best Musical Comedy Performance (''Old Woman, New Material'') ** Laura Benanti: Best Female Celebrity Vocalist (''In Constant Search of the Right Kind of Attention'') ** Susie Mosher: Best Host/Producer for Variety Show or Open Mic (''Backstage'') ** Ann Hampton Callaway & Liz Callaway: Best Duo or Group Show (''Sibling Revelry'') ** Ahrens & Flaherty: Best Revue (Nice Fighting You: A 30th Anniversary Celebration) ** Jason Robert Brown: Best Original Song for a Cabaret Show ("Twenty-Six Names") ** Jane Monheit: Best Jazz Vocalist *2013 Bistro Awards ** Justin Vivian Bond ** Jenifer Lewis ** Maurice Hines * 2013 June Briggs Award: Excellence in Destination Management Services * 2013 Concierge Choice Award: Nightlife * MAC Awards: Board of Directors Award (2013) * 2013 Nightlife Award

Selected performers

Among the performers who have performed at 54 Below:

Popular culture

54 Below was used in the setting of the ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States o ...

'' parody ''Downton Abbey the Musical''. It was also featured in the third season of the webseries ''

Submissions Only ''Submissions Only'' is a comedy web series about the casting and audition process for Broadway theater. It centers around aspiring actress Penny Reilly ( Kate Wetherhead) and her friend, casting agency director Tim Trull ( Colin Hanlon), and th ...

''.

Recordings

A partnership with Broadway Records has produced live albums of selected shows performed at 54 Below.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cabaret Restaurants in Manhattan Music venues in Manhattan Midtown Manhattan Studio 54