Skip to main content

For Loving Life with Levi Kreis: “Broadway at the Keys Tour”


Hallelujah! I love him so. 

Even though it has been more than two years since I have last seen Levi Kreis perform live, I still knew it would be an experience I could not pass up when the opportunity presented itself once again. Such was my luck as he was promoting his latest album, “Broadway at the Keys”, and would be playing at Feinstein’s 54 Below in NYC.

Feinstein’s 54 Below (formerly 54 Below) is a cabaret nightclub created by Broadway producers, that lives below the legendary Studio 54, which now operates as a theater. In 2015 Michael Feinstein became involved and the club now also bears his name. 



Ironically I was last at Studio 54 in 2014 seeing the revival of “Cabaret” staring the one and only Alan Cumming (http://bit.ly/2uVHblQ). Now there is some show called “Sweat” performing there, but on the night I was nearby it was dark. 

Feinstein’s has been open over five years now and is where the locals go to hear the local Broadway talent sing their hearts out. The nightclub also boasts a full menu including desserts and cocktails. Those who purchase tickets should know there is also a twenty-five dollar drink and/or food minimum per person upon showtime. 



The venue has only one hundred thirty-four seats and at most is twenty-four feet away from the stage. It is that kind of proximity to the stars that keeps us all coming back again and again. The club is reminiscent of old school Hollywood. It is red and gold all over. The waiters are in formal long aprons with pinstripes on them. Once you step inside it is like stepping into an old film but with all of your favorite modern performers playing.

There really isn't anything quite like the feeling I get being in a room where live music is being played. It is part of the reason I love going to the theater so much. When the music begins to swell in a completely silent room, you can feel the passion and emotions of the lyrics and of those singing in your bones. It gives me the chills. I choke up even if it’s a song I know by heart. Hearing it live just brings a whole new force behind it. No one artist I know expresses this more than the man I was here to hear, Mr. Levi Kreis. 


Levi Kreis and I go waaaaay back. 

All the way back, in fact to the Nederlander Theater in 2011 when a hit Broadway show called “Million Dollar Quartet” (MDQ) changed both our lives and bonded us together forever. 

Levi originated the role of Jerry Lee Lewis in MDQ and seeing the talented actors and singers in that show and getting to meet them that made me realize I too needed to live the life I imagined. I needed to pursue my dream and work towards leaving the day job I had then and hated. The year 2011 signifies for me the sight of successful people living their dream and moved me to take my first step towards doing the same via creating my blog. I will never be able to thank them enough for inspiring me, whether they know it or not. 

Ever since I met Levi and began listening to his music I have been captivated by it all (http://bit.ly/2vIqAou). In fact he was the reason behind my first visit to 54 Below (http://bit.ly/2uVtsvj) in 2012. So it is no surprise that he has brought me back here once again. 

While Levi and I could not be any different, he is a good ole boy from Tennessee and I am an abrasive New Yorker, I love listening to the stories of his life and the music that has come from it. I feel like he has lived many more lives than me, even though we are the same age. He has a wisdom in his soulful voice that I find addictive and comforting. His performance at the show this week was just as powerful as ever. 

In a moment of surprise I ran into another MDQ alum, Eddie Clendening, who originated the role of Elvis Presley on Broadway. He performs his own music with his band, The Blue Ribbon Boys, and I hope to catch their show sometime in the future. I just had to say hello because I could not believe both of this talented men where once again in the same room with me. 

The biggest compliment I can pay my friend, Levi Kreis, is that as soon as our meeting was over the only thing I want to do is write. It appears he is my muse, especially when I need him the most. 

Please check out his website listed below to let a little bit of his magic enter your world. You will thank me, I am sure of it.

For More Information: 





Comments

Popular posts from this blog

For Find Out Friday - Why Do Emery Boards Make My Skin Crawl?

You know that sound a fingernail makes when it scratches against a chalkboard?  You know that feeling the sound of that action gives you? I, like most people, hate that sound.  I instantly feel like scrunching my shoulders up to my neck and closing my eyes.  I feel the exact same way when I am using an emery board to file my nails. This annoying sensation has a name: “grima” which is Spanish for disgust or uneasiness. This term basically describes any feeling of being displeased, annoyed, or dissatisfied someone or something.  It is a feeling that psychologists are starting to pay more attention to as it relates to our other emotions.  Emery boards are traditionally made with cardboard that has small grains of sand adhered to them. It is the sandpaper that I believe makes me filled with grima.  According to studies that are being done around the world, it is not just the feeling that we associate with certain things like nails on a chalkboard or by using emery boards

For Find Out Friday - How Do You Milk An Almond?

Despite my affinity for cheese and other dairy products, occasionally (actually a few times a week) I like to go dairy-free.  During those times I rely heavily on my favorite brand of almond milk, as seen in the picture above.  Though I know there is no dairy in this product, I constantly wonder: “how does one milk an almond”? Logically I am aware that no actually “milking” is taking place.  I also know that almond milk can be made at home, although I have zero interest in attempting to make it despite my love of spending time in my kitchen. So, what is the actual process?  How long does it take?  When / where / who was the first to successful develop this product? When talking about this kind of “milk” what we are really talking about is plant juices that resemble and can be used in the same ways as dairy milk. Plant like juice has been described as milk since about 1200 A.D. The first mentions can be found in a Baghdadi cookbook in the thirteenth

For a Doughnut Worthy of Food Network Glory: “Dun-Well Doughnuts”

All because I wanted a Boston creme doughnut. That is how this blog truly began. It was Father’s Day weekend and although I was initially thinking of myself, I knew my father wouldn’t mind having a sweet treat for dessert. Brooklyn is synonymous with great pizza, bread, and of course bagels. But it also has many great bakeries producing some of the most delicious doughnuts you have ever tasted. Just to name a few, there is: Doughnut Plant , Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop and Dough .   On the day of my craving, I did what any of us do countless times a day - I opened Google. When I Googled “best Boston creme doughnuts in Brooklyn” Dun-Well Doughnuts appeared high on that list. Intrigued I researched it further and learned that it had won the Canadian  Food Network’s contest called “Donut Showdown” in 2013. That was enough information for me to decide to visit the very next day.  Dun-Well Doughnuts was opened by Dan Dunbar and Christopher Hollowell in December 2011. Despite