Actors and singer-songwriters Jordan Friend and Pearl Rhein will perform their new multi-instrumental cabaret, Jordan and Pearl Play Everything at The Avenue Bar and Restaurant on Tuesday, October 15 at 8pm. The pair of close friends and collaborators will bring their dynamic vocal blend and an arsenal of instruments (including piano, guitar, violin, bass, mandolin and more) to each other’s original songs, along with tunes by The Beatles, Randy Newman, Gillian Welch, PJ Harvey, Radiohead, and more. The show came together thanks to a fortuitous overlap in Friend’s and Rhein’s schedules. Friend, who grew up and worked in the DC area (both as a performer and as founder of 4615 Theatre Company), is now based in New York, but is returning to his hometown as a cast member for Round House Theatre’s world premiere of A Hanukkah Carol, or Gelt Trip! The Musical (November 20-December 22). Rhein, who also lives in NYC, is currently performing in Shakespeare Theatre’s acclaimed production of Comedy of Errors (extended through October 20) starring Alex Brightman and David Fynn. Jordan Friend and Pearl Rhein “Pearl and I met through William Finn’s songwriting class right when I moved to the city, and she’s been one of my closest friends and musical collaborators since,” says Friend, who recently performed in Hunter Foster’s hit production of Rock of Ages at Sharon Playhouse. “We’ve been wanting to put a show together in New York for a while, but instead we got this perfect overlap where we’d both be in DC at the same time. It feels special, because I get to share new songs in my hometown, and introduce all of my DC friends to the musical force of nature that Pearl is.” “Jordan and I collaborate well because we are more similar in temperament than in influence,” says Rhein, who was an original Broadway cast member of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. “We get along easily as people, while challenging and surprising each other as musicians.” As for musical influences, Rhein describes her music as “Expansive, old-fashioned, tender, smart, weird. Like if Randy Newman listened to a lot of Aaron Copland and also was the ghost of a Victorian child.” Friend, in turn, describes his songs as “Adventurous, earthy, surprising melodies made hummable, with heart-halfway-onto-a-platter lyrics. Like if Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright had to work together on an indie road trip movie.” Jordan and Pearl Play Everything will be performed at the “secret” upstairs space at The Avenue restaurant/bar in the Chevy Chase neighborhood of NW Washington, DC. Audiences can expect an intimate, cabaret-style environment with a full food and drink menu and a place downstairs to celebrate after. On playing in DC, Rhein says “It’s one of my favorite places to work outside of NYC! I’ve been here with a play for 2 months and it feels like my adopted city. The amount of talent here is pretty staggering.” As for Friend, he adds “One of the songs in our setlist is Randy Newman’s ‘Feels Like Home’, and that about sums up for me what debuting this show here means.” Jordan and Pearl Play Everything: A Multi-Instrumental Evening of Song, featuring Jordan Friend, Pearl Rhein, and special guests to be announced, performs one night only, Tuesday, October 15 at 8:00 PM upstairs at The Avenue DC, 5540 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20015. Run time is approximately 90 minutes. Tickets are pay-what-you-can at the door; advance RSVP recommended online here. ABOUT THE ARTISTS Jordan Friend is a NYC-based actor, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. His music has been featured by world-renowned recording artist Ben Folds, and he performed a live virtual tour of his solo rock musical, Old Soul, for audiences across four continents. Acting credits include Lonny in Rock Of Ages (Sharon Playhouse, dir. Hunter Foster), Bill in Mystic Pizza (West Coast Tour), and the upcoming world premiere of A Hanukkah Carol (Round House Theatre). Jordan also served as Founding Artistic Director of 4615 Theatre Company (Helen Hayes Award, Outstanding Emerging Theatre). He studied songwriting with Tony-winning composer William Finn and was a Senior Cabaret/Performance Fellow at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center. BFA Acting (Ithaca College), Diploma in Classical Acting (LAMDA). Jordan’s music is available on all major platforms. Pearl Rhein is an actor, writer, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer based in New York. She can be seen in DC through October 20, playing Angela the Goldsmith (and several instruments) in Comedy of Errors at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Pearl appeared as an actor-musician on Broadway in Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 and in The Public/Shakespeare in the Park’s The Taming of the Shrew directed by Phyllida Lloyd. As a singer-songwriter, Pearl performs regularly with The Bushwick Book Club, Necromancers of the Public Domain, the Musical Theatre Factory and other groups. She has composed for Red Bull Theatre, Page 73, Ma-Yi Theatre, People’s Light Theater Co, and the Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway New Play Festival. Pearl originated the role of Bride Riordan in the musical Transport at The Irish Repertory Theatre, and has worked as an actor, musician or both at Ars Nova, Red Bull, The Civilians, Playwrights Horizons, Dallas Theater Center, Arena Stage (Washington, DC), A.R.T. (Boston), The La Jolla Playhouse, The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Playhouse on Park (CT), Horizon Theatre (GA) and People’s Light Theatre (PA). She records dark electro-americana under the name “Mostly Bees.” TV credits include Succession (HBO), The Blacklist (NBC), and Younger (TVLand). MFA in Acting: UC San Diego. BA: Ball State University. Proud member of Ring of Keys, Maestra, SAG-AFTRA, Actors Equity, American Federation of Musicians, and ASCAP.