It will be all that “jazz, pop and everything in between” when Broadway’s Carly Hughes makes her solo debut with Carly Live at 54 Below! on August 7. The event will feature musical direction by Sonny Paladino, who served as associate conductor of Pippin, and arrangements by Paladino and Joe Drymala. According to BroadwayBox.com, the concert can be described as “if Dinah Washington and Nancy Wilson 
met up with Jessie J and Amy Winehouse for cocktails.”
Inspirational albums for Hughes’ record player include: Calypso by Harry Belafonte; Broadway My Way by Nancy Wilson; Salt by Lizz Wright; Lioness: Hidden Treasures by Amy Winehouse; and Funky Divas by En Vogue. Hughes is very much in vogue these days and has, well, been giving her audiences something they can feel. For her time at Broadway’s supper club it will be no different, only more intimate.
Fans will have a chance to see the Columbia, Maryland native in this solo performance before she reprises her debut Broadway role as Velma Kelly in the current revival production of the Tony-winning Chicago. She will be the vaudevillian and murderess for 16 performances from Aug. 22-Sep. 4, replacing Amra-Faye Wright during her hiatus. Amy Spanger (Rock of Ages) also returns to Roxie Hart for a two-week engagement from Aug. 4-16, after Grammy Award winner Brandy Norwood took her bow Aug. 2 from the nearly four-month stint.
In its 19th year on Broadway, Chicago – featuring the tunes of John Kander and Fred Ebb – tells the story of dancer Roxie Hart, who murders her lover after he threatens to leave her, and works over the press by hiring a slick criminal lawyer.
Recipient of the prestigious national Princess Grace Award for Acting and Excellence in the Arts, Hughes was most recently The Leading Player in Pippin, arriving to the stage September 2014 as the final replacement (after Ariana DeBose and Ciara Renee) for original cast member Patina Miller before the show’s close in January. Prior to that, she was Lucille/Shirley of the Shirelles in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. In January, Hughes was among the voices of BROADWAY SINGS P!NK to showcase new arrangements of her Broadway songs from these two shows. At the 2014 Tony Awards, she performed an unforgettable rendition of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” from Beautiful.
And, yes, we will still love Carly Hughes tomorrow… and the next day, and the day after that, and… forever.
The 14-year acting veteran – whose additional Broadway credits include Ghost, The Book of Mormon, Ragtime, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – isn’t done for the year, though. Her vocal stylings will soon be seen alongside Jason Alexander, Nikki M. James and the late Dennis Farina in the upcoming movie musical Lucky Stiff, adapted for the screen by Tony Award winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime).
Tickets for Carly Live at 54 Below! can be purchased at 54below.com.
