New York City has a new feel-good cabaret showcasing Broadway stars: Madame George, a subterranean bar and performance space located at 45 West 45th Street.

The Midtown venue, it should be noted, offers music six nights a week,
but it’s only on Mondays when theatre lovers can see their favorite Broadway
artists, as well as up-and-coming theatre performers delight. Fittingly titled Broadway Night Off, the weekly performances allow Broadway actors the opportunity to sing “anything except for Broadway music—what would they never get a chance to sing on the big stage,” Danny Lipsitz, who manages music at the club and books its talent, recently told Playbill.

“It’s every Monday night, on the night where most Broadway theatres are dark,” Lipsitz, who also performs, said. “We’ve had a lot of major star performers as well as a ton of up-and-coming artists, swings, and standbys. A community has started to build around it, where previous performers come back to support their friends, sit in, and just have a great time. It’s one of the best ways to get up close with the folks who are working on Broadway.”

Warning: The club is a bit hidden—with no marquee, only the name projected onto the
sidewalk reveals its location. And visitors have to knock on the door to gain
entrance. But the intrigue only adds to the exclusive feel. Upstairs it may be hush hush, but downstairs, it’s positively bustling. Located underground, Madame George overflows with warmth, from its comfortable, plush chairs and couches to its genial booking manager, charmingly friendly general manager, and attentive waitstaff.

The night this writer attended, entertaining the packed crowd were Mykal Kilgore (Chicago, Hair, and Motown the Musical) and Olivia Valli (the lead of the Pretty Woman: The Musical national tour). Broadway Night Off is hosted by the lively, humorous Diva LaMarr and is co-directed by Lipsitz and Cynthia Fung.

A generous three hours of music, divided into three sets, filled the evening August 17. The first set featured the talented house band, including Jack Redsecker on keyboard, PJ Roberts on bass, and Alex Raderman on drums, with vocals by Lipsitz, who also played several instruments. The foursome offered jazz-flavored renditions of “Green Dolphin Street,” “Kiss,” “I Love Paris,” “Kansas City,” and “Besame Mucho.” The evening’s headliners, Kilgore and Valli, were featured in the next two sets, introduced by Diva LaMarr, who also had the chance to impress with their vocals.

During the second set, Valli, who also played Elphaba in the tour of Wicked, demonstrated her powerful belt in “Tears Dry on Their Own,” “I’ll Be Waiting,” and “A Couple of Minutes.” Kilgore, whose extremely lush, rangy voice flows with ease, shone in renditions of “When It’s This Good,” a particularly velvety “My Cherie Amour,” and “Let Me Go,” which the artist said is the “song that turned me from Broadway’s Mykal Kilgore to Grammy nominee Mykal Kilgore.”

After a brief pause, Valli returned with back-to back knockouts, “You’re No Good” and “That’s the Way It Is,” and Kilgore scored with “Can We Talk” and a beautiful and roof-raising take on the Roberta Flack classic, “Killing Me Softly,” that had everyone in the room singing along.

What was particularly enjoyable about the evening was getting the chance to also hear a host of other talents shine in solo moments. Other performers included drummer Josh Davis; Lucille Lortel Award winner Darnell White, who offered the night’s sole show tune, “On the Street Where You Live”; A Wonderful World’s Alphonso Horne, who brought his joyful rendition of “Feel Like Funkin’ It Up” into the audience; Jayna Elise and Brian Vaulx, who joined voices for a thrilling “River Deep, Mountain High”; KYNG, who ably tackled Stevie Wonder‘s “Superstition”; and Stephany Mora, who lent her vocals to the Carpenters classic “Superstar.”

About the experience of performing in the downstairs venue, Kilgore told Playbill the following morning, “The joy and spirit in the room is a reminder that artists, musicians, singers are the life’s blood of NYC,” while Valli added, “Last night was nothing short of pure artistic joy and creative magic.
Music being created on the spot is so rare in the city now where
everything is so curated, Broadway Night Off keeps it raw and real.”

Upcoming performers are set to include N’Kenge (August 24), Mia Gentile and Julie Benko (August 31), Treston Henderson and Kay Sibal (September 7), Kwame Michael Remy (September 14), Rebecca Larkin and Krystal Hernandez (September 21), and Aisha Jackson (September 28).

Cabaret-goers also have the chance to enjoy Madame George’s classic cocktails— curated by mixologist Marshall Minaya—and sample items from the venue’s menu.

Fionnan Gallagher, the general manager, explained, “Madame George is a New York cocktail bar. We try and incorporate New York liquor and products in everything that we do. All of our signature cocktails have a New York spirit in them, and our wine and beer are also from New York. We have over 25 cocktails on offer on the menu.”

And, what does Gallagher suggest?

“For a Monday night, an Opening Act—low ABV melon martini on the Broadway page is always a nice choice. To Randy is our most popular cocktail—it’s a margarita riff, where we infuse the tequila with jasmine and change the pH level of orange juice to have the same acidic level as lime. If you’re a gin person, I would go for our Final Bow cocktail, also on the Broadway page, that is a pepper gimlet. The Carefree Wonder is also a great choice for gin—clarified milk punch. For whiskey, our Morning Glory cocktail is a combination of a Sazerac and an Old Fashioned.”

And for those who would like some food with their drink, Madame George offers small sharing bites. “The Chop Cheese Sliders, General Tso’s Chicken, and Bang Bang Shrimp would be my recommendations,” Gallagher said.

Perhaps Kilgore summed up the feeling of Madame George best at the conclusion of the evening’s entertainment: “I want to reiterate the words that have been said over and over again, but this room is full of so much talent. There’s incredible talent on the stage, but … I know that in the audience is full of incredible talent. These moments, I’m feeling like they’re happening less and less in this city. So, soak this up, drink it in, and really enjoy the fact that you are surrounded by something that is completely made by the people in this room. There’s no AI in here.” The room cheered while Kilgore exclaimed, “Come on, come on!” Like the Broadway shows that surround the area, there is nothing like seeing performers live.

There is a $10 cover charge for Broadway Night Off. Guests have the option to make a reservation for priority seating for an additional fee or minimum spend. The bar also hosts a Broadway Happy Hour nightly from 5–7 PM.

Visit MadameGeorgeNYC.com. To book reservations for Broadway Night Off, click here.