Latest news with #54Below
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Isaac Mizrahi Readies for His ‘Democracy' Show
Isaac Mizrahi and his band will be back at 54 Below in New York next month with his show 'Isaac Mizrahi Survives Democracy.'Given the state of the world, that's one tall order, but the fashion designer is disciplined in his approach to deliver 'a searing look at where we are today.' The performances will be Aug. 6 to 9. Although he writes a good amount of material in advance, Mizrahi said 'sometimes the best lines come from me just extemporizing. I think that's why I have such stage fright. I prepare. I really respect an audience, and I want them to see a good show. And the music is rehearsed, rehearsed and rehearsed,' he said. 'And sometimes I just say things and that becomes what the show is about.'With music ranging from Billie Eilish to Cole Porter, Mizrahi chimes in about such subjects as politics, Pride and Ozempic. Having performed in Naples, Fla., and other locales like the Spoleto Music Festival in Charleston, S.C., he said the audience's enthusiasm varies. 'At Spoleto a few weeks ago, I did three shows. I was a little scared because it's the South and who knows who's sponsoring what,' Mizrahi said. 'But the first thing I said was 'Happy Pride.' And people just lost their minds.'He continued, 'The second thing I always say in the show is, 'Darlings, what the f–k are we going to do?' They loved it because people have been asking themselves that question.'His repertoire includes some lyrics he writes like ''Drop That Name,' which is just a bunch of names,' and 'The Cellphone Haiku,' which is written to one of my ringtones and has all of these very neurotic thoughts I have, when my cellphone rings.' There is also a tribute to the actor Timothée Chalamet, whom Mizrahi played a scene with in the upcoming film 'Marty Supreme.' Mizrahi said, 'We worked one day together. I don't know what he would do if he knew I was doing a tribute number to him. But he's so funny, wonderful and cute.'The designer was even more adulatory about Gwyneth Paltrow, who is also in the film that debuts Dec. 25. 'Gwyneth is so f–king talented. I had this tiny little scene with her, where I had nothing to do. But she had this big emotional reaction. They shot it like 17 times and she did it 17 times. I couldn't believe how great she was. She is really a good actor,' Mizrahi said. 'I played her publicist 'Merle.' That's the name of the character. I have had a few press agents myself along the way, so I had a few ideas.'The film's director Josh Safdie delves into subjects and did so for the film that is set in the 1950s. For his role, Mizrahi said he personally thought a lot about 'how people comported themselves in those days.'Mizrahi is also a contributing producer to the Hulu show 'Mid Century Modern,' and he has made a few cameos. Having looked at scripts and offered some ideas and jokes here and there, he hoped the show's co-creator Max Mutchnick will come see his 54 Below will also be performing his 'I Know Everybody' show on Aug. 10 at Guild Hall in East Hampton, N.Y., where he will tell stories about Liza Minnelli and Sandra Bernhard, as well as offer a tribute to Jon Hamm, who he 'barely knows.' Mizrahi said, 'He sort of flirts with me. That's what those gorgeous people do. They don't know they're doing it, but they do.' As for the current state of fashion, the designer said Jonathan Anderson's debut collection at Dior and Michael Rider's collection for Celine were 'thrilling.' He said, 'They don't look like a lot. You need to have to know something about clothes in order to love those shows. It's not showboating. It looks beautiful and it's about the clothes. If anything is going to reignite the clothing business, it's designers trying to differentiate between what they make for the red carpet and what they make for people to be influenced by or to actually wear.' He added, 'That sounds like a crazy old fart thing to say. But after a while, there are only so many instructions that nobody cares about. I loved those collections, because they looked directional in ther nothingness.' More from WWD Kate Middleton Embraces French Couture in Pink Dior to Welcome Brigitte Macron in Windsor Dior Lady Art Project Celebrates 10th Anniversary Haute Couture and Hospitality Inside Printemps' New Suite Augustine As for the Ozempic craze, he said, 'It looks like you've taken the stuffing out of the stuffed animal. It doesn't look natural or cool. It just looks like sad. People don't look happy when they're on Ozempic.' Best of WWD Why Tennis Players Wear All White at Wimbledon: The Championships' Historic Dress Code Explained Kate Middleton's Looks at Trooping the Colour Through the Years [PHOTOS] Young Brooke Shields' Style Evolution, Archive Photos: From Runway Modeling & Red Carpets to Meeting Princess Diana
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fans in Tears Over Emotional ‘Rent' Reunion: ‘I Ugly Cried Multiple Times'
Fans in Tears Over Emotional 'Rent' Reunion: 'I Ugly Cried Multiple Times' originally appeared on Parade. Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp still know how to bring fans to tears. The two former 'Rent' co-stars, part of the original Broadway cast of the iconic musical by Jonathan Larson, reunited in New York recently much to the delight of musical theatre fans who originated the role of Roger Davis, and Rapp, who originated the role of Mark Cohen, returned to 54 Below in New York this week, bringing their 'Celebrating Friendship' tour back to the legendary Broadway themed supper club, the first of the duo's 11-night engagement. The pair's voices were pitch perfect as they belted out three 'Rent' hits, 'Light My Candle,' 'There's Only Us,' and 'Seasons of Love.' In video shared to social media of the pair's debut, the stripped down performance of 'There's Only Us,' fans were deep in their feelings, with many noting they couldn't watch the show without getting choked fan wrote, 'They were absolutely incredible! I ugly cried for most of the show,' while another added, 'Why am I crying?!' 'They sound like they didn't even age,' noted one fan. Another added, 'I ugly cried multiple times.' Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp will be performing at 54 Below through July 6, 2025. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 Fans in Tears Over Emotional 'Rent' Reunion: 'I Ugly Cried Multiple Times' first appeared on Parade on Jul 2, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Forbes
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Melissa Errico To Perform Stephen Sondheim's Music In NY And London
Tony Award-nominated performer Melissa Errico is bringing her talents and the music of the incomparable Stephen Sondheim to top stages in New York and London this summer. NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 01: Melissa Errico performs onstage during Broadway's Best Comes Together To Salute Chita Rivera At Touch The Sky, A Benefit To Build NY's First Shane's Inspiration Inclusive Playground For Kids Of All Abilities at Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall on October 1, 2018 in New York City. (Photo byfor Shane's Inspiration) Getty Images for Shane's Inspiration Tonight and tomorrow night (June 20 and 21) she will sing songs written by Stephen Sondheim at 54 Below, the Broadway supper club, while she will perform a 'Sondheim in the City' program at Cadogan Hall in London on July 12, her debut in that hall. 54 Below said her shows there would present 'a sparkling evening of (Sondheim's) sublime songs side by side with engaging stories of his craft and life. Errico's admiration for her friend and teacher — she refers to his wisdom and inspiration as 'life-saving, sheer joy, giving us all creative courage' — is always evident. This…engagement is a preview of her upcoming concert hall debut in London.' Errico, 54 Below continued, 'worked with Stephen Sondheim on productions of Sunday in the Park with George , John Doyle's hit production of Passion , and Do I Hear A Waltz? at City Center. She played the Baker's Wife in a concert run of Into the Woods . She has sung Sondheim on PBS, 'Finishing The Hat' for Poetry In America and on her own filmed solo special. She sang and spoke at a tribute to him in her Carnegie Hall debut in 2022 with The New York Pops. She has made two all-Sondheim albums, with a third on the way.' The June 21 54 Below performance, which will be livestreamed, will feature Tony Award winner Len Cariou, the Sweeney in the original 1979 Broadway production of Sweeney Todd . In an interview with this week, Errico said Cariou would tell the story of how Sondheim's legendary song, 'Send in the Clowns' from Sweeney Todd —immortalized by Judy Collins—got written. Errico's July 12 performance at Cadogan Hall, 'Sondheim in the City,' will feature Olivier Award-winner Julian Ovenden, accompanied by Tedd Firth on piano and a trio from Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. Errico will perform classics from Sondheim's Company, Merrily We Roll Along and Anyone Can Whistle , among other shows, and tell stories about her own work with him. Melissa Errico and Stephen Sondheim Bruce Glikas Asked what her favorite Sondheim musical and song are, Errico told this 'alters all the time. But I can never get past the beauties of Sunday In the Park and A Little Night Music and their big, ambivalent arias: 'Children and Art' — which I got to sing to him on his ninetieth birthday—and, of course, 'Send In the Clowns', which I'll be singing this week. Those two will always have a place in my heart and on my set list.' Asked what the message of Sondheim's music is for listeners today, she said, 'it's both to accept ambivalence and embrace pluralism. All of our lives, and particularly all of our loves, are always all mixed up – that's the moral of 'Sorry, Grateful' and 'Good Thing Going' and 'Moments In The Woods.' The course of true love (and marriage) never runs smooth, and we wouldn't recognize it if it did. But he also tells us to embrace the sheer variety of New York , and in that way of the world. That's the moral of 'Sunday' from Sunday In The Park and 'Move On' and 'Children and Art.' (I know, they're set in Paris, but Sondheim's Paris is another version of New York.) They tell us that we not only have to accept but embrace and celebrate all the complexities of life, and all the many kinds of people in the park – the ones we share the world with.'
Forbes
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Livestreamed Concert Tonight Marks Mabel Mercer Foundation Anniversary
The Mabel Mercer Foundation—which is dedicated to preserving and performing the art of cabaret—tonight is celebrating two milestones: its 40th anniversary and the 125th year of its namesake, the legendary singer, Mabel Mercer. Singer Mabel Mercer performing at a nightclub. (Photo by) The celebration will include a party and concert at 54 Below, the Broadway supper club in Manhattan. The party is sold out, but the concert will be livestreamed at 6:45 p.m. ET, with tickets available for $29. Artists performing will include those supported by Donald Smith, who established the foundation, and others who knew Mercer personally. They will include Carole J. Bufford, Natalie Douglas, Bryan Eng, Jeff Harnar, Karen Mason, Madalynn Mathews, MOIPEI (Mary, Maggy, and Marta), Lee Roy Reams, Steve Ross, Craig Rubano and KT Sullivan, the foundation's artistic director. They will be accompanied by Jon Weber on piano and Steve Doyle on bass. The non-profit Mabel Mercer Foundation's activities include serving as a central source of information for artists, presenters, promoters and the general public; sponsoring performances and broadcasts by new and established singers and entertainers; and presenting the annual New York Cabaret Convention at Frederick P. Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The foundation's outreach beyond New York City includes partnerships in the Cayman Islands and Durango, Colorado. The foundation also offers a number of educational programs, including a 12-week cabaret workshop led by its education director, Natalie Douglas, at the Professional Performing Arts High School in Manhattan; teen cabaret showcases (the next is scheduled to take place in January 2026); and an American songbook competition, meant, the foundation said, 'to inspire young performers to explore and celebrate the Great American Songbook,' with three prizes ranging from $1,000 to $2,500. According to the foundation, Mabel Mercer 'helped shape the American songbook and inspired iconic artists like Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday and Tony Bennett.' It also called the American Songbook 'one of our national treasures. Thus, the art of cabaret is a gateway to an eternal appreciation of such geniuses as George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, E. Y. Harburg, Burton Lane, Duke Ellington, Leonard Bernstein, Frank Loesser, Cy Coleman, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Jule Styne, Jerry Herman and Stephen Sondheim, among many others. That American popular music and cabaret should — and must — thrive is the avowed declaration and dedication of The Mabel Mercer Foundation. As such, (its) efforts continue on a daily basis to promote the traditions so eloquently and unforgettably exemplified by Mabel Mercer, arguably the supreme cabaret artist of the twentieth century.' In an interview this week with Sullivan said Mercer wasn't 'just singing songs, just hitting notes. They are stories. I've noticed young people who are used to pop songs, when they get into the stories, they love it and they want to do more of them. That's great.' Sullivan has appeared in every New York Cabaret Convention since the inaugural event in 1989, and has performed at the Oak Room in the Algonquin Hotel and at the Neue Galerie's Café Sabarsky, both in New York, as well as at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the London cabaret Crazy Coqs and many music festivals worldwide.
