By Melissa Griegel…
Photos by Melissa Griegel Photography
How many superlatives can I put in my description of Jenn Colella’s 54 Below show? Colella wowed audiences for two glorious nights, March 27th and 28th, 2026. The lucky audiences could be heard praising Colella and her show as they exited the intimate cabaret venue where Colella let her personality shine for a delightful hour and fifteen minutes. The only negative about the show was that it wasn’t longer.
The Tony® Award–nominated and Grammy® Award–winning Jenn Colella is a force of nature whose career spans Broadway, television, film, and even higher education. Famous for her portrayal of Captain Beverley Bass in the Tony Award–winning hit Come From Away, and most recently seen as Carrie Chapman Catt in SUFFS, Colella is also an adjunct associate professor at Columbia University and Pace University and hosts live events such theater galas and BroadwayCon.
For anyone who has met Colella, they know that the warmth and honesty she portrays on stage is real, as she is just as lovely and genuine off-stage as she is on. She carries herself with a confidence that lets you know she knows what she is doing, and yet she is also able to show you her vulnerable, self-deprecating side, making easy jokes about herself or bantering with the audience. Many cabaret performers begin their performance by strolling through the audience for their first song. But unlike some who do a quick pass while heading to the stage, Colella walked in belting “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” while making a full pass of the room, stopping to warmly greet audience members.
Alexa Green and Nikisha Williams
She welcomed back people who have seen her perform in the past and greeted new people with “Is this also your first time with a lesbian? I’m perfect for the first time!” She continued with, “I have been thinking about what kind of evening I wanted to craft for all of us here and what kind of experience I wanted us to all have. I just wanted us all to feel present. Well, present and gay, if I’m being honest. If I can turn just one person gay, I will have done my job! Ha! But you know, regardless of what side of the political coin you fall on, I think we can all agree that it’s a little heavy right now, and so it feels nice to just surrender and release and be present with one another in the vibration of laughter and music and a middle-aged lesbian and her kick-ass band!”
She certainly delivered on all of that. Her kick-ass band included many musicians who also played in Come From Away, which opened on Broadway exactly nine years ago from the week of the show. Music Director Chris Ranney led the band on piano. The band was rounded out by Carl Carter on bass, Adam Wolfe on drums, Nate Lueck on guitar, Kristy Norter on reeds, and Caitlin Warbelow on violin. “When I first auditioned for the role of Captain Beverly Bass,” she said, “I was 42-years-old. They gave me a song for the audition, and in the song was a lyric that said ‘somehow I am 51’ and I thought ‘Well, I’m much too young for this role.’ So, now, nine years later, suddenly I’m 51!” Seeing her sing “Me and the Sky” from Come from Away brought me back immediately the feeling of wonder of seeing such a unique and powerful show on Broadway.
Her rousing rendition of “Valerie” was magnified by the robust and energetic back-up singers Alexa Green and Nikisha Williams who added their talents to many of the songs in the show. Green has toured both nationally and internationally as a singer and actor on national tours and in staged performances with musical theater greats. Williams had extensive training in classical singing and performed in both operas and musicals.
Colella included three songs by the incredible Shaina Taub, who became the first woman in history to win Tony® Awards for Best Book and Best Score by herself for SUFFS. Prior to singing “Finish the Fight” from SUFFS, Colella sang Taub’s “Room” from There’s a House, and then “Joyful Noise” from Taub’s album Visitors. Colella described the latter song as “the clearest description of spirituality” and her “connection to the divine”. This led perfectly and beautifully into Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”.
Colella picked up the pace with “It’s Raining Men” (which she changed to “It’s Raining Fems”). Williams added depth to Sara Bareilles’“Gravity” and the exquisite violin playing by Warbelow on Stevie Nicks’ “Landslide” was the perfect touch. Green harmonized with Colella on “I’ve Been Here Before” from Closer Than Ever by David Shire and Richard Maltby, Jr. and we got to hear a gorgeous solo part. Colella starred in this off-Broadway show in the basement of a church on the upper-east-side. “The house was so small that we could see everybody that was in there and one night Stephen Sondheim came to the show,” Colella recalled. “At the end of this next song, he was clapping above his head and it was one of the proudest moments of my life.”
The powerful “River” felt like an 11 O’clock number with a strong beat and whooping from the crowd. Colella and her back-up singers brought energy to this song, dancing on the stage and carrying out long notes. She caught her breath with a slower song by Bob Dylan, “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go”, and then “Always Starting Over” from another show Colella starred in on Broadway, “If/Then” by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey. For her encore, Colella ended the show the way she began it, singing amongst the tables to the Otis Redding hit “Hard to Handle”.
If you ever see an advertisement for another cabaret show by Jenn Colella, run, do not walk. I see a lot of cabaret shows; this was my third 54 Below show last week, and it was one of my favorite nights at the famed cabaret venue. Jenn Colella knows how to connect and how to entertain, and very clearly how to sing. I will definitely be at her next show.
