The Ninth Annual Harvard-Yale Cantata returns to 54 Below on Thursday, September 12 at 9:30 PM. Join producer and host Tom Toce (MAC Award-winning songwriter and ten-time MAC nominee) for a cutthroat evening of terrific songs and performers.
Th show is a competition of Harvard alumni vs. Yale alumni, as performers and writers. Both schools have renowned songwriter alumni (Harvard: Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner, and Yale: Cole Porter and Bobby Lopez). Yale leads this series 5-2-1. Last year Harvard scored their second win, in a 32-31 point nail biter.
Looking to avenge last year’s defeat, Team Yale will summon some of its formidable musical theater resources to fight Team Harvard. Derek Speedy returns as the Harvard team captain, and Josh Rosenblum is coming back as the Yale music director and team captain. Ian Chan will handle music direction for Harvard.
The Yale songwriters will include Brittney Benton (current Yale student), Peter Foley (The Hidden Sky, The Names We Gave Him), Michael Gore (score to the movie Fame, Oscar winner), Robert Lopez (Book of Mormon, Frozen), Joshua Rosenblum (Fermat’s Last Tango, Einstein’s Dreams, Faculty at Yale, author of Closer Than Ever, a biography of the songwriting team of Richard Maltby and David Shire), and Maury Yeston (Nine, Titanic, Tony winner). The Yale performers will include Alaina Anderson, (national tour of Dear Evan Hansen), Sam Bolen (Midnight at the Never Get, Assassins at Classic Stage, several Encores! productions), Amy Justman (Titanic at Encores!, Company, Carousel, Phantom, In Transit, and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder on Broadway), Joanne Lessner (Bway: Cyrano, Drama Desk nominated songwriter), and Lauren Marut (current Yale student).
The Harvard songwriters will include Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story, etc.), Ian Chan (rehearsal pianist for Bway’s 1776 and The Heart of Rock and Roll, two-time semi-finalist as composer for the Eugene O’Neill National Theater Conference), and Sarah Rossman (Itchin’ for an Itch at Williamstown and The Emperor’s New Clothes at ART). Performers for Harvard will include Ashley LaLonde (national tour of Hamilton), Henry Lynch (Zoomers, a new play by Matthew Gasda, Dexter, and Netflix’s The Society), Lindsay McAuliffe, and Derek Speedy (Lifespan of a Fact at Gloucester Stage Company and Asolo Rep).
There is a $34.50 (includes $4.50 in fees)-$45.50 (includes $5.50 in fees) cover charge, with a $73 (includes $8 in fees) premium ticket charge and a $25 food and beverage minimum. Tickets and information are available at www.54Below.org. Tickets on the day of performance after 4:00 are only available by calling (646) 476-3551.
54 Below is located at 254 West 54th Street (Cellar), NYC
