54 Below

Joaquina Kalukango is a Broadway actor-singer of uncommon power. If you watched the 2022 Tony Awards, you probably haven't forgetten her searing performance of “Let It Burn” from the musical Paradise Square, for which she won the Best Actress prize that year—a performance that ranks among the most memorable in Tony history. Now she makes her 54 Below debut with a cabaret set that includes songs in a wide range of genres. Musical director Michael Orland is at the keys.

The very gifted newcomer Nichelle Lewis wowed New York with a one-two punch last year: She made her Broadway debut as the adventurous Dorothy in The Wiz and then followed it up by playing the terrified Sarah in the Encores! production of Ragtime. Now she makes her solo cabaret debut at 54 Below with a set that includes songs from her stage roles, gospel and soul numbers and even a few originals. 

Talented singers from the Broadway and cabaret worlds sing side by side in this monthly dive into the fathomless depths of the late musical-theater deity Stephen Sondheim. Guests at the February 23 episode include Ramona Mallory and Lucia Spina, who have appeared in Broadway revivals of Sondheim shows, as well as LaDonna Burns, Michael Di Liberto, Michelle Dowdy, Jon-Michael Reese, Lisa Sabin, Eric Ulloa and Jordan Wolfe. The saucy Rob Maitner plays host, and music director John Fischer is at the piano. 

The superb Brazilian operatic baritone Paulo Szot, who made Lincoln Center audiences swoon in his Tony-winning turn as Emile De Becque in South Pacific, returns to 54 Below with a set of music drawn from musical theater traditions around the world, including Broadway and the Spanish zarzuela. Luke Frazier serves as musical director, joined by members of the American Pops Orchestra.