Annaleigh Ashford has recorded a new song by Will Van Dyke and Jeff Talbott entitled “A New Year”. The song celebrates the New Year holiday, and will be included in her upcoming concert at Feinstein’s/54 Below on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2015 at 11:00 p.m.
The single features Ashford backed up by her live band The Whiskey 5, which includes Will Van Dyke (piano), Alec Berlin (guitar), Steve Gilewski (bass), Mason Ingram (drums), and Allison Seidner (cello). The song was recorded in New York City and was mixed by Grammy Winner Derik Lee and Ian Kagey. Oscar Zambrano mastered the recording. It is available on iTunes and wherever digital music is sold.
The release of the single will be followed up by a one-night only concert at Feinstein’s/54 Below. Called New Year’s Magic, the evening will feature both the new song, as well as a variety of Ashford’s cabaret repertoire. Come ring in your 2017 with an eclectic mix of songs, stories, some sort-of impressive magic tricks, and an appearance made by a rainbow. Get your midnight kiss in one of the swankiest rooms in New York during a night that’s sure to be one of laughter, love, looking back, and looking forward. All tickets include two spectacularly delicious courses by Executive Chef Lynn Bound, a dessert buffet after the show/during the dance party, and an open bar for the entire evening. Tickets for New Year’s Magic range from $325-$495, and are on sale now at www.54Below.com/Feinsteins.
Annaleigh Ashford was most recently seen at NY City Center playing the role of Dot in Sunday in the Park with George. She won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for Essie in You Can’t Take It With You. She can also be seen on television as Betty DiMello, the prostitute, on Showtime’s Masters of Sex and as Columbia in Fox’s Rocky Horror Picture Show. Annaleigh was Tony-nominated for her role as Lauren in Kinky Boots and is also known for her work in Sylvia (Sylvia), Rent (Maureen), for which she was nominated for a Drama League Award and Clive Barnes Award, Dogfight (Marcy), Wicked (Glinda) and Legally Blonde (Margot).
Will Van Dyke composed the music for the off-broadway play Straight (Acorn), as well as Winnie The Pooh, Kids (Disney), The Lion King Jr. & Kids (Disney), The Devil’s Bitch (Playbill), One Small Step For Melvin (Wine & Cheese Club Prod.), and The Girls I’ve Like Liked (Ars Nova). His songs have been performed at venues all over the world from Japan to New York City. Upcoming works include Magnificent Climb (with Rick Elice), Imagine Harry and Wintersong (with Jeff Talbott), and Writing Kevin Taylor (with Josh Halloway). As a music director: Kinky Boots (Associate MD/Associate Supervisor [Korea & Australia]), Rent (MD), The Addams Family (Keyboards), Grease (Associate MD), Wicked (Keyboards). Will’s debut album Chasing the Day, Writing Kevin Taylor, A View Of The River, and his single Another Time featuring Annaleigh Ashford are available wherever digital music is sold. With Matt Doyle: Daylight, Constant, Uncontrolled, and Make The Season Bright. www.willvandyke.com
Jeff Talbott’s play The Submission was the inaugural recipient of the Laurents/Hatcher Award in 2011 and was produced off-Broadway by MCC Theater; it went on to receive the Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Award for New American Play in 2012. His play The Gravedigger’s Lullaby will receive a world-premiere production in March 2017 off-Broadway by TACT at Theatre Row in NYC. His play i will receive a 29-hour workshop and presentation at Pioneer Theatre Company in January 2017. Three Rules for the Dragon was a finalist for the 2016 O’Neill Conference and received a workshop in June 2016 at Premiere Stages at Kean University in New Jersey. His other plays (A Public Education, Elliot, All the Stars in the Midnight Sky and How to Build a City) have received workshops and readings at MCC Theater, Chicago Shakespeare, Pioneer Theatre, TACT, Crowded Outlet and Route 66. He writes musicals with composer Will Van Dyke. Their musical Imagine Harry was presented in the 2015 NAMT Festival of New Musicals and was a semi-finalist for the 2015 O’Neill Musical Theatre Conference. They released an EP of their work in September of 2015 called A View of the River (available on iTunes or wherever digital music is sold). They were part of Goodspeed’s 2016 Jonny Mercer Writers Colony finishing a draft of their musical Wintersong and are currently finishing work on a new musical called Seven Broken Hearts. Jeff graduated with honors from the Yale School of Drama. www.jefftalbott.com.
54 Below, Broadway’s Supper Club, and Michael Feinstein, one of the world’s great musical artists, have united to give New York an unparalleled destination for entertainment and dining. Feinstein’s/54 Below, Broadway’s Supper Club & Private Event Destination, is the performance venue in the grand tradition of New York City nightlife. A few blocks from the heart of Times Square and just below the legendary Studio 54, Feinstein’s/54 Below is a classically designed state-of-the art nightclub in the theatre district that hosts audiences with warmth and style. Feinstein’s/54 Below presents iconic and rising stars from the worlds of Broadway and popular music. The venue provides a food and beverage menu from early evening through the wee hours of the morning that is worthy of the world-class entertainment on the stage. In their description of the venue, The New York Times writes Feinstein’s/54 Below “has the intimacy of a large living room with unimpeded views and impeccable sound; there is not a bad seat. Its sultry after-hours ambience is enhanced by brocade- patterned wall panels planted with orange-shaded lanterns. And the atmosphere is warmer and sexier than in Manhattan’s other major supper clubs.” Located at 254 West 54th Street, Feinstein’s/54 Below features up to three shows nightly with cover charges ranging from $15-$105.