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A new presentation of Abby Payne’s new musical The Gunfighter Meets His Match! will take place at 54 Below on Thursday, February 27th at 9:30pm. This special one-night only concert presentation will spotlight new music performed by creator/composer/writer Abby Payne, along with her full band and special guests.
A “feminist wild West adventure,” The Gunfighter Meets His Match! (featured at the New York Musical Festival and Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals) began as a concept album, using the WIld West as a setting for the ever changing and challenging music business. Now a full-length musical, the 54 Below show will showcase its soulful, rousing songs and a few new surprises.
“I am so thrilled to bring this evening of song and celebration to 54 Below,” says Ms. Payne. “Gunfighter is like True Grit meets Blazing Saddles meets Oklahoma – pretty much everything you could possibly want in a new musical– adventure, romance, comedy and a classic high noon showdown,” she adds. “To perform this piece with the very best singers and musicians in New York City is truly a dream come true. We can’t wait to share this magical night with a live audience!”
Featured artists/performers include: Chris Anderson (Postmodern Jukebox, Ingrid Michaelson, Paul Maddison (Atina, Queen of the Galaxy, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “The View”), Shara Radin (Carnegie Hall, The Desert Rose Saloon Show), Arbender Robinson (Disney’s The Lion King, The Book of Mormon, Shuffle Along…), JP Schlegelmilch (Visitors, Slow Tiger), Kenny Shaw (Mamma Mania ABBA tribute band, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “The View”), Brandi Thompson (Brandi and the Alexanders, ’s “Karaoke Battle USA”), Cherette White (Norm Lewis, Atomic Funk Project), Ryan Bauer-Walsh (BILLY ELLIOT (1st National Tour), ENCORES! The Most Happy Fella, Off Broadway: Death for Five Voices) and Jeff Davis (The Desert Rose Saloon Show, JCE Jazz Dance Project).
Abby Payne grew up singing with her family on a dairy farm in upstate New York. She has been a performer and singer/songwriter in New York City for several years, releasing five albums of original music and currently recording a sixth. Payne has also produced, created, and starred in several music videos and is a founding member of the Round Table, a female artist collective that seeks to create more community and opportunities for women as well as Allied Independent Musicians (AIM). Her musical “The Gunfighter Meets His Match,” for which she wrote the book, music, and lyrics, was selected for the New York Musical Festival as well as the Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals. Portions of the show have also been performed at HERE Arts, Joe’s Pub, and Playwright’s Horizons (with the Musical Theatre Factory). In 2019, she was invited to join the Johnny Mercer Writer’s Colony at Goodspeed Musicals, and in 2020 she attended the HBMG National Winter Playwrights Retreat in Grand Lake, CO. Her latest album is due for release in 2026.
