A review of 54 below when it first opened
A New Club in Town
After the demise of the Oak Room at the Algonquin and the news that Feinstein’s at the Regency will relocate when the Loews hotel undergoes major renovations cabaret fans can enjoy a new club in town, 54 Below. Occupying the space that once was the “VIP Room” at the notorious Studio 54 discotheque, this comfortable venue is downstairs from the theater with the go go 70’s name.
54 Below opened with a two week engagement starring that lioness of Broadway, the original Evita, Patti LuPone. Ms LuPone is also a great exponent of the songs of Stephen Sondheim. Having seen her recently in that duet Broadway stint with her Evita co-star Mandy Patinkin and I find that the immensely talented Ms LuPone like chocolate mousse or pate de foie gras is best taken in moderation.
My first visit to the new club was to enjoy the lustrous voice of the wonderful Rebecca Luker.
Ms Luker, a native of Helena, Montana who has graced the Broadway stage in The Secret Garden, Showboat, Mary Poppins and Nine has also been in a number of the Encores semi- staged musicals at the City Center. Last year her bell-like soprano was heard in the Roundabout Theater Company’s production of Maury Yeston’s musical adaptation of Death Takes a Holiday.
The club is comfortably decorated in a combination of elegant speakeasy and art nouveau styling. The tables are spacious although the club’s policy is called “cabaret seating” which means you may end up sharing a table. The former VIP Room of the disco was totally gutted so don’t expect to find any souvenirs or powder tracks for that matter. The new décor has a quiet elegance and is comfortable. You have to purchase tickets in advance and the ticket prices vary according to the performers. There is a $25.00 minimum at the tables. However, if you are a moderate to non-drinker they have an excellent food menu. The wait staff is generally gracious and efficient.
Now back to the star of the evening, Rebecca Luker. Her program was her version of a Jerome Kern Songbook. Jerome Kern, a native New Yorker and one of the founders of ASCAP is considered to be the father of the American Musical Theater.
Ms Luker performed some lesser known Kern melodies, particularly those from a series called the “Princess Musicals” because they were staged at the Princess Theater, a precursor to an Off- Broadway house with only 299 seats. Kern’s collaborators for that series were Guy Bolton and PG Wodehouse.
Some of the best known Kern songs of course were done magnificently, with definite gasps of joy coming from audience members as Rebecca Luker’s superb soprano did the Kern & Fields gem The Way You Look Tonight or the great Kern classic with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, All the Things You Are and two memorable pieces from the revolutionary musical done by Messrs Kern & Hammerstein, Showboat - Fish Got To Swim and Bill. A Kern-Hammerstein collaboration that is often done by jazz singers and instrumentalists, The Folks Who Live on the Hill was followed by a Kern-Mercer show-stopper, The Song is You
Ms Luker had to respond to the standing ovations with two encores. After a glorious evening enjoying this supremely talented vocalist I have to join our editor and express my jealous feelings as well. Rebecca Luker is married to Broadway star Danny Burstein. He’s had a tough life lately, married to Rebecca Luker (they do archival musical studio recordings together), he’s been nominated for two Tony awards and has had long runs alongside Kelli O’Hara in South Pacific and Bernadette Peters in Follies.
The evening ended with a charming touch – Ms Luker stood at the door and thanked us for coming to see her. To paraphrase a Kern-Dorothy Fields title, that was a fine romance!
Written by Lee Gelber, The Dean of Tour Guides and a proud member of The Guides Association of NYC.