About the show
Welcome! Don’t have a reservation? No problem. On Cocktails at Table 7: Inside New York’s Joe Allen, your table is always ready. In candid conversations with Broadway veterans, long-time regulars, even past and present employees, your hosts, Dana, Sean and Jason, recreate the intimate vibe that an evening at Joe’s has always offered. You’ll hear stories of the “Good Ol’ Days” in 1960’s Hell’s Kitchen, rarely told anecdotes from the shows on the “Flop Wall,” and the special connection between the restaurant and the people who make theater happen (Chita Rivera, F. Murray Abraham, and Daryl Roth, just to name a few.) You’ll feel like you’re tucked away at your favorite table or perched on a barstool sipping a martini, enjoying an insider’s night out. What began as an effort to preserve the connection to our beloved community has evolved into a joyful celebration of the memories and moments that have made Joe Allen one of Broadway’s most enduring hits. Cheers!
Cocktails at Table 7- Inside New York’s Joe Allen is produced and hosted by Jason Woodruff, Dana Mierlak, and Sean Kent, with music by James Rubio and logo design/artwork by Christina D'Angelo. The producers would like to extend a special thank you to the owners of Joe Allen, Orso, and Bar Centrale Restaurants.
Latest Episode
Our pal, Lee Wilkof, has been a regular at Joe Allen for decades, almost as long as he has been delighting Broadway and off-Broadway audiences in seminal musical hits like Assassins, Kiss Me Kate, and Little Shop of Horrors. On this, our final episode of “Cocktails at Table 7” of 2022, we enjoy a heartfelt and intimate chat with one of the great New York character actors. We discuss everything from the integral role his wife of 35 years played in his casting as Seymour Krelborn, the recent health crisis that shook up his world and set him on a path of greater health and happiness, his longtime friendship with the late, great, Mark Blum, and the ineffable appeal of that enduring Joe Allen classic, the LaScala “salad”. (*not actually a salad)
Your Hosts
Sean Kent
Sean Kent is a writer, occasional performer, and lifelong showbiz devotee. Sean has worked as an actor in projects such as the feature film School Ties, and the television series Homicide: Life on the Street, as well as numerous television commercials (back when those were a big deal.) Sean’s first full length play, The Salacious Uncle Baldrick, was produced at fringeNYC to much critical acclaim and was a co-author of the musical revue -Joe Allen Presents: BROADWAY BOMBS! which played at The Laurie Beechman in various successful incarnations. He lives with his wife and two beautiful children in a town in New Jersey you’ve never heard of (even though you may pretend you have) and has proudly worked in Joe Allen-owned restaurants in one capacity or another since 1999.
Dana Mierlak
Dana Mierlak is an actor, singer, and lifelong musical theatre geek. Her stage credits include: featured soloist/Crissy understudy in the Connecticut Critics Circle award-winning production of Hair and Side By Side By Sondheim, Trish Holmes in Right Next to Me, Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, and several incarnations of Joe Allen Presents: BROADWAY BOMBS! Dana has co-written, performed, and produced - As We Stumble Along (a two-person show) and has been featured on several TV shows including The Tick (Amazon) and Deadline Crime with Tamron Hall. She can be heard on the Stage Stars Records recordings of Sondheim Solos, Cats, and Legally Blonde. Dana began her tenure with Joe Allen in the early 2000’s and has proudly worked in several different capacities over the years. The best “survival” job a New York Actor could ask for. www.danamierlak.net
Jason Woodruff
Jason Woodruff is a photographer whose work has been featured in The New York Times, The New York Post, and USA Today among others. Specialties include performance, editorial, and environmental portraiture. He currently resides in Astoria and once quit working at Joe's, only to return because working at nearly any other restaurant is a nightmare. He has worked for Joe Allen since the middle of Bill Clinton’s second term. jwphotonyc.com
