Melissa Manchester to weave “Fifty Threads” at 54 Below 

Grammy Winner Melissa Manchester is set to return to the Tri-State in a very special way when she takes the stage of New York’s 54 Below with Fifty Threads: An Artist’s Journey, opening June 12. 

The three-night engagement – an evening of songs and stories tracing the five decades of her career — will serve as a live companion to her 25^th studio album, RE:VIEW. Released in 2023, it is a retrospective of Manchester’s career chronicling how her signature songs — like the singer herself — have deepened and evolved. The LP gave her a golden opportunity to collaborate with Dolly Parton and Kenny Loggins and received rave reviews. 

Manchester — a lifelong ally to the LGBTQ community — spoke with Out in Jersey in early 2021 for an extensive profile. At the time, Covid had stymied her work on the album, live concerts were not happening, and she was afforded time to reflect on her work and what future touring could look like. 

Fate had a very happy detour in store soon after when she was cast in the national tour of the 2022 Broadway revival of Funny Girl. Earning more raves — this time for her acting — she delivered a richly authentic, hurts-so-good performance as Rose Brice, mother to the title character. [I reviewed the tour for Out in Jersey when it passed through Philadelphia last summer.] 

But touring in musical comedy waylaid concert plans for a while. 

Now that the tour has wrapped, Manchester is ready to celebrate her golden anniversary in show business on the concert stage in style and, at last, put her singer/songwriter’s life in proper RE:VIEW. 

Below is a video interview in which Manchester speaks to me about what fans can expect of her Fifty Threads engagement, the significance of her coming to New York during Pride month, and more. 

For tickets and more information, visit 54Below.org.