Interview: He's Ready for a Wild Party! Joshua Henry Talks Returning to Encores! Off-Center Series, Reuniting with Sutton Foster & More!

New York City Center's acclaimed Encores! Off-Center series, under the artistic direction of Jeanine Tesori, returns for a third season of landmark Off-Broadway musicals, opening on June 24, 2015 with William Finn and James Lapine's A New Brain starring Jonathan Groff, directed by James Lapine. The season continues with a one-night only performance of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's Little Shop of Horrors, starring original cast member Ellen Greene, directed by Dick Scanlan, on July 1. Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party starring Sutton Foster and Joshua Henry, and directed by Leigh Silverman, wraps up the season, opening on July 15. Chris Fenwick is the Encores! Off-Center music director. A New Brain will play five performances, from June 24-27, 2015. Little Shop of Horrors will play one performance only, on July 1, 2015. The Wild Party will play five performances only, from July 15-18, 2015.

Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party, adapted from the Jazz Age narrative poem by Joseph Moncure March, will star Sutton Foster and Joshua Henry, who costarred in the Off-Center production of Violet. Violet director Leigh Silverman will direct. The Wild Party is the story of one tragic, decadent night in a Manhattan apartment shared by Queenie (Sutton Foster) and her menacing lover, and the handsome stranger (Joshua Henry) who wants to lure her away.It opened at Manhattan Theatre Club on February 24, 2000 and played 54 performances.

Henry just chatted with BroadwayWorld about returning to the series, reuniting with Sutton Foster, preparing for rehearsals and so much more. Check out the full interview below!

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Are you already a fan of the show?

I've never been in it and I've actually never even seen it! I only know it through the soundtrack with Brian d'Arcy James, Idina Menzel, Taye Diggs, Julia Murney... I've been obsessed with them all since my school days, so to actually know them now and to get to do this... it's unreal. I love how unique the score it. You have saxophone and electric guitars! It's a very eclectic mix for a score. I like music that meshes it all together. I think that's what Lippa did with this. You hear the danger and the wildness of the story. It's all so present in the score. In the story a lot of the characters are drinking and having an incredible time- that's the 'wild party'! I think that is so clear in the music.

Yes, I love the score too. And you get so many of the good songs!

You don't even know! I'm SO excited. From what I understand, there might even be some surprises in the score! Andrew Lippa recently talked about being inspired by Sondheim, who rethought a lot of the songs for the INTO THE WOODS movie. So he said, "Well if he's doing that, then that gives me a lot of courage to approach this in a different way!" So I'm thinking there might be some additions or subtractions? We don't know, but I'm so excited to see what he brings to this new version of it.

Leigh Silverman is of course directing.... Is that how you got involved?

Yes, between Leigh and Jeanine [Tesori]. Leigh asked if I'd be interested in doing THE WILD PARTY, and before she even mentioned Sutton [Foster] I was already saying yes. Then she mentioned her and it turned into more of a scream, "YES!" I love working with Jeanine and Leigh. And Sutton and I have become such great friends since VIOLET. I love working with her onstage. She's so incredible! It's nice when you can get back with the same team. You wanna work with people who you have a rapport with. You finish each other's sentences a bit creatively when you've worked together for a while.

You and Sutton were amazing in VIOLET. I think you should just keep up the trend and do a new show together every year!

You know... I would have no objections! You know, when you see people perform together in different shows, I say, "Oh wow, what are they going to do differently this time?" I think THE WILD PARTY is SO different from VIOLET. And it is very different from anything I have done before. I think Sutton would say the same thing. I think it will stretch me as an actor in ways that I am very excited about.

Sonya Tayeh is the choreographer, and I have loved her work and wanted to work with her for a while. I'm doing my stretches and working on the weights a little bit [Laughs]. I'm getting myself ready for this wild party!

I love how this series is bringing attention back to shows that maybe aren't as well known. That must be exciting for you to be able to bring this back to the public...

It is! The Off-Center series is chance to bring back these shows that for whatever reason, ended prematurely. Theatre is very cutthroat, especially here in New York! It's very exciting to get to be a part of when an author gets to look again at his or her piece, and to be given the space to come at it with fresh eyes. That's what Jeanine Tesori's vision is all about. It certainly worked for VIOLET...and that went to Broadway..wink, wink! [Laughs] That's not what it's about, but it's a nice chance to be able to revive something, both for the audience and for the composers.

Is there another show that you are a fan of that you think deserves another go?

Well, I'd really like to do FLOYD COLLINS. I love Adam Guettel. THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA is one of my top three musicals of all time. I love the score in FLOYD COLLINS though. I'd love to be involved in that one being re-thought. Just putting it out there!

You're going to be at 54 Below soon as well, right?

Alysha Umphress and I are doing love duets for Valentine's Day. It's February 9 at 7PM. I'm so excited because we have wanted to do something together for a while. I'm going to be showcasing some of my arrangements, some of LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA actually. There is some Ray Charles, Rodgers and Hammerstein; we are going all over the place. It's jazzy, soulful arrangements. I think that Alysha and I are very similar in our influences. We love Broadway, but if we are gonna do a Broadway song, it's going to be done in a completely different and totally unique way.

What are you most looking forward to?

Well I was talking to Leigh about this recently. It is months away, but I think I'm most excited because it is going to stretch me. I know it. And the opportunity to stretch and grow is what I look for as an actor and singer and dancer. That's what I want to do, but I also want to be able to do that while others are stretching around me. Lippa is looking at this with fresh eyes. Audiences have never seen Sutton in a role like this before. We are all coming into this room to go to places where no one has quite gone before. If I can keep getting to do that, I can consider this a successful career!

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Henry most recently starred in the Roundabout Theatre Company's Tony Award nominated production of Violet. Starring alongside Sutton Foster and Colin Donnell, he was nominated for the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his performance as Flick. Joshua was seen in the critically acclained Lifetime television series "Army Wives" as Quincy Montclair. Broadway audiences will also remember Joshua from his performance as Jake in the Tony Award Winning revival of The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess. His performance as Haywood Patterson in the musical The Scottsboro Boys earned him a Tony Award nomination for "Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical." Other Broadway shows include American Idiot and In the Heights.

All tickets begin at $25 and can be purchased at the New York City Center Box Office (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues), through CityTix® at 212-581-1212, or online at City Center members. $25 Tickets will go on sale to City Center's Peer to Peer members beginning on January 5, 2015. Tickets to the general public will go on sale beginning January 20, 2015. All tickets begin at $25 andcan be purchased at the New York City Center Box Office (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues), through CityTix® at 212-581-1212, or online at www.NYCityCenter.org." target="_blank">www.NYCityCenter.org.