If you wish to revisit the temper, music, and strikes of the disco period, 54 Beneath has the proper flashback for you on the primary Wednesday of each month, for 2 exhibits per night time, with its widespread sequence Flip the Beat Round! Designed to seize each the enjoyment and the decadence of the day, the occasion, produced and directed by Scott Coulter, contains a live performance of the best disco hits carried out on stage by a roster of prime NYC singers backed by a five-piece band; a pre-concert dance lesson with world-class instructors from the Emmanuel Pierre-Antoine Dance Studio, beginning at 6:30 pm, included with admission to the early present; and a disco costume contest, with two tickets and a $100 voucher awarded to the Greatest Dressed at every efficiency. And all of it takes place within the place the place it occurred!
The legendary nightclub Studio 54 opened on April 26, 1977, when disco was at its peak, within the house above the present cellar venue of 54 Beneath, which then served as a personal VIP Room accessed by a hidden stairway. It rapidly turned identified for its over-the-top events, unique entry insurance policies, and movie star regulars that included such luminaries as Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli, Halston, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson, Brooke Shields, and John Travolta. Although the membership was short-lived, closing its doorways in early 1980 (after its house owners Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell had been convicted of tax evasion), it stays a landmark within the historical past of disco, and 54 Beneath is guaranteeing that its legacy is stayin’ alive.
Pierre-Antoine kicked off the night, with the enthusiastic viewers filling the dance flooring and becoming a member of in for a 30-minute lesson on methods to do the hustle. Then Coulter and the top-notch band, led by music director Michael Hollander on piano, opened the high-energy live performance with a rousing efficiency of “Disco Inferno” beneath a silver mirrored disco ball and colourful flashing and revolving lights, setting the tone for a fast-paced 70 minutes of practically continuous performances of disco classics by a quickly rotating roster of 9 powerhouse singers.
Every of the featured vocalists delivered the genuine sound and stylings, excessive notes and lengthy notes of the classic favorites and saved the home dancing, clapping, and singing alongside. Jessica Hendy, sporting a pair of flier glasses, adopted Coulter with “Don’t Depart Me This Manner,” returned for a dynamic duet with him on “It’s Raining Males,” and took the lead on “Final Dance” – the quantity that closed the present (and just about each membership of the time). In between had been rhythmic deliveries of “Love Prepare” and “Funky City” by Devin Roberts, the titular “Flip the Beat Round,” “Boogie Oogie Ooogie,” and “Sufficient Is Sufficient” by Susan Agin, and passionate renditions of “If I Can’t Have You” by Anthony Murphy and “Received To Be Actual” by Kelli Rabke.
Along with offering piano accompaniment, Holland sang a nostalgic medley of theme songs from two sit-coms and a business jingle of the interval (“The Love Boat,” “WKRP in Cincinnati,” and “The Jordache Look”). Coulter, on stage all through the present, took on the feminist anthem “I Will Survive” by the “actual Queen of Disco” Gloria Gaynor and went straight into “The Hustle.” He later joined Blaine Alden Krauss – who pumped up the power degree with an invigorating “Macho Man” in glittering sequin sleeves – on the electrifying “YMCA,” with the artists and the viewers persevering with the custom of appearing out the acronym with their arms. Different prime private favorites had been Mike Schwitter’s scorching strikes and supercool voice on “Copacabana,” Lorinda Lisitza’s blockbuster “I Love the Evening Life,” and Tyce Inexperienced’s scorching “Sizzling Stuff,” masterfully sung whereas transferring across the stage in a glowing leopard-print go well with.
Flip the Beat Round gives a superb night of exhilarating covers of the most effective of disco. For those who missed it this month, will probably be again on a daily schedule, so get out your membership put on, really feel the beat, catch that Wednesday night time fever, and take part on the retro enjoyable!
Working Time: Roughly 70 minutes, plus a 30-minute pre-show dance lesson.
Flip the Beat Round performs once more on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, and subsequent first Wednesdays of the month, at 54 Beneath, 254 West 54th Road, NYC. For tickets (priced at $35-110, plus charges and a $25 meals and beverage minimal per particular person), name (646) 476-3551, or go on-line. Masks usually are not required however could also be worn at your discretion.
