Julie Benko

JULIE BENKOCurrent Star of RAGTIME: The Hottest Ticket on Broadway this Spring!Premiering her new show: Euphonic GumboHow did a nice Jewish girl from Connecticut end up steeped in the sounds of New Orleans? Simple: I visited... and fell madly in love. The music, the spirit, the ghosts, and the joy all pulled me deeper down the rabbit hole.Euphonic Gumbo is my love letter to the Crescent City. We stirred in a little of everything: the syncopated strut of early jazz, the spice of a Cajun fiddle, the echo of folk ballads, Jelly Roll Mortons Spanish tinge, and, of course, nods to the great piano professors famous for making the ivories dance. Its music that honors both life and death, mischief and memory, Disney dreams and Longfellow laments.Back by Popular Demand!Get ready to laissez les bons temps rouler as Broadway and cabaret star Julie Benko (Funny Girl, Harmony, Ragtime) makes her triumphant return to Feinsteins at the Nikko after last years sold-out engagement! Joined by her jazz-pianist husband Jason Yeager, Benko brings her signature sparkle and soaring vocals to a joyful celebration of their new album, Euphonic Gumbo. This spirited love letter to New Orleans features jazz classics (Pretty Baby, Basin Street Blues), haunting folks ballads (The Lakes of Pontchartrain), Disney favorites (Ma Belle Evangeline), and more. After selling out her annual Mardi Gras concert at Birdland in NYC four years running, Benko is taking the show on the roadand San Francisco gets her first. Come join the paradenobody, no nobody, is gonna rain on this one! BIO Julie Benko joined the annals of theatrical lore for her sensational understudy-to-star trajectory as Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl. Between her tenure as the standby, alternate, and full-time Fanny, she played the role over 180 times and received numerous accolades for her interpretation, including Theatre Worlds Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theatre. She was also named the 2022 Breakout Star for Theater by The New York Times and one of 10 Broadway Stars to Watch for 2023 by Variety, honored as one of 40 Under 40 for Crains New York Business, hailed by CBS Mornings as Broadways breakout star, and profiled in numerous national media outlets such as The New York Times and Time. Following Funny Girl, she returned to Broadway to originate the role of Ruth in Barry Manilows long-gestating musical Harmony. Visit her website, www.JulieBenko.com, or follow her on TikTok or Instagram @Jujujuliebee to discover more!