Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Dashing leading men at 54 Below: EPHRAIM SYKES and CASEY LIKES revel in their musical inspirations

• By drediman
• August 11, 2026
• No Comments

This past week at 54 Below, the indispensable Theater District cabaret club played host to a pair of dashing Broadway leading men, both of whom reveled in their musical inspirations. As always, read on for my thoughts.

EPHRAIM SYKES: FOR THE RECORD
54 Below

Last week for two nights, Broadway’s Ephraim Sykes took to the intimate 54 Below stage to unveil his solo show debut at the venue. Entitled For the Record (RECOMMENDED), the cabaret act painted a compelling portrait of the man behind his performances on the Broadway stage (most notably his Tony-nominated turn in the Temptations jukebox musical Ain’t Too Proud), chronicling his upbringing and background as a singer in a gospel choir, as well as his close affinity to the R&B songbook. Throughout, he melded the sacred and the profane, unafraid to co-mingle church gospels with the more heated sexual concerns of secular songs (e.g., the high octane medley of “God Make Me Funky/I Know You Got Soul/Get Up, I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine/Get Up Offa that Thang”). The most memorable moments of the show, however, were provided by the more soulful and grounded selections, namely his gorgeous duet with Britton Smith on Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On”. If you’ve seen Sykes onstage before, you know that he is a sensual and magnetic — often electric — stage presence, and the same could be said of his performance in his 54 Below solo show debut. Comfortably holding court, he was a captivating storyteller and natural charmer. His vignettes largely stayed away from his Broadway career, instead focusing on his evolution as a man. He also sounded fantastic. Set against satisfying musical arrangements, his soulful vocals were in turn silky smooth and soaked with fierce conviction. For the engagement, Sykes was accompanied by a terrific band, led by music director Manny Houston on keys, and featuring Ian Forde on Guitar, Ray Cetta on bass, Shawn Dustin on drums (the excellent back-up vocals were provided by Olutayo Bossed and D.R. King).

CASEY LIKES: BACK TO THE PAST
54 Below

Also last week, I was able to catch Casey Likes perform his show Back to the Past (RECOMMENDED) on one of the three consecutive nights he played 54 Below. Already in his blooming career, the young leading man has headlined big Broadway musicals like Back to the Future and Almost Famous — most recently he portrayed the subversive bad boy heartthrob J.D. in the Off-Broadway revival of Heathers — in the process amassing an impressive fan base at the tender age of just 24 years old (as evidenced by the enthusiastic sold out Friday night show I attended). Like Ephraim Sykes, Likes delved into his musical inspirations — accompanied by cute coming-of-age photos over the years — however casting a wider net across the likes of Disney animated movies (“Go the Distance” from Hercules), Elton John (“Rocket Man”) the Jonas Brothers (“Burning Up”), Bon Jovi (“Wanted Dead or Alive”), and Bruno Mars (“Talking to the Moon”). A little less convincing was his foray into R&B, during which he took on the Stevie Wonder / Marvin Gaye mash-up of, respectively, “Superstitious” and “What’s Going On”. That being said, he concluded the evening on a high note with an exuberant medley — which popped under music director Ted Arthur on piano, guitarist Jakob Reinhardt, bassist Tina Lama, and drummer Jake Robinson — that haphazardly assembled numbers from the Broadway songbook alongside the hits of pop music icons. Unsurprisingly, his vocals are an appealing blend of Broadway and pop song stylings. Over the course of the show, Likes’ banter was assured and straightforward, registering very much like the youth that he actually is. Indeed, we’re in the unique position of witnessing him grow up in front of our eyes under the bright lights of Broadway. From what I can tell so far, the young star certainly has the makings of a robust matinee idol.