Breaking News: Encores! 2016 Season to Feature CABIN IN THE SKY, 1776, DO I HEAR A WALTZ?

The 2016 season of New York City Center's Tony-honored Encores!series will open with Cabin in the Sky on February 10-14, 2016, followed by 1776 and Do I Hear a Waltz?. Jack Viertel is the artistic director of Encores!; Rob Berman is its music director.

Cabin in the Sky tells the fable-like story of a battle between The Lord's General and the Devil's only son over the soul of a charming ne'er-do-well named "Little Joe" Jackson who, after a knife fight in a saloon, is given six months more on earth to prove his worth. With Cabin in the Sky, composer Vernon Duke, lyricist John La Touche, and librettist Lynn Root set out to celebrate African American achievement in music and dance, and created a wonderfully integrated score that blends hits like "Taking a Chance on Love" with authentic traditional gospel numbers and full-fledged modern dance pieces. The show opened on October 25, 1940 at the Martin Beck Theatre in a production staged and choreographed by George Balanchine and ran 156 performances.

The score of Cabin in the Sky will be restored to its original glory at Encores!, thanks to the generous support of The Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Broadway Musical Restoration Fund.Cabin in the Sky will run February 10-14, 2016.

1776 is set in the halls of Congress, as the founding fathers battle out the question of independence and draft the declaration that will sever their ties to England and give birth to a new nation. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and their cohorts argue and grandstand through speeches and songs such as "Sit Down, John," "Cool, Cool, Considerate Men," and "He Plays the Violin." 1776 features music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone. The original production opened on March 16, 1969 at the 46th Street Theatre and played for 1217 performances, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical.

"1776 is a show we've long contemplated doing, but wanted to wait a sufficient amount of time after its successful 1997 revival," said Jack Viertel. "This season, with Lin-Manuel Miranda'sHamilton opening on Broadway and dealing with many of the same story elements in a completely different way, we felt it would be an especially enjoyable moment to look at this wonderful show. It may also start a few conversations, which, in the theater, we always hope to do." 1776 will run March 30-April 3, 2016.

Do I Hear a Waltz? marks the only collaboration of Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim. Based on Arthur Laurents' play The Time of the Cuckoo, Do I Hear a Waltz? is the romantic tale of a middle-class American woman who uses her meager savings for a long-dreamed-of trip to Venice, where she finds love, life, and her truest self. The musical features music by Rodgers, lyrics by Sondheim, and a book by Laurents. It opened on March 18, 1965 at the 46th Street Theatre and ran 220 performances.

Do I Hear a Waltz? is perhaps the most infrequently produced of Sondheim's works; it has not been seen in New York since its original Broadway run. Do I Hear a Waltz? will run May 11-15, 2016.

New York City Center gratefully acknowledges the Encores! Season Sponsors, Stacey and Eric Mindich, Nathalie and Pablo Salame, The Shubert Foundation, and the Stephanie and Fred Shuman Fund for Encores!. The score restoration for Cabin in the Sky is made possible by The Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Broadway Musical Restoration Fund.

New York City Center (Arlene Shuler, President & CEO) has played a defining role in the cultural life of the city since 1943. It was Manhattan's first performing arts center, dedicated by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia with a mission to make the best in music, theater and dance accessible to all audiences. Today, City Center is home to many distinguished companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, City Center's Principal Dance Company, as well as Manhattan Theatre Club; a roster of renowned national and international visiting artists; and its own critically acclaimed and popular programs. The Tony-honored Encores! musical theater series has been hailed as "one of the very best reasons to be alive in New York." In summer 2013, City Center launched Encores! Off-Center, a series featuring landmark musicals filtered through the lens of today's most innovative artists. Dance has been integral to the theater's mission from the start, and dance programs, including the annual Fall for Dance Festival, remain central to City Center's identity. Vital partnerships with arts organizations including Jazz at Lincoln Center and London's Sadler's Wells Theatre enhance City Center's programmatic offerings. City Center is dedicated to providing educational opportunities to New York City students and teachers with programs such as Encores! In Schools and the Young People's Dance Series. Special workshops cater to families, seniors and other groups, while events such as the Fall for Dance DanceTalk series offer learning opportunities to the general public. In October 2011, City Center completed an extensive renovation project to revitalize and modernize its historic theater.

Encores! subscriptions can be purchased starting July 27, 2015 through CityTix® at 212.581.1212 or online at www.NYCityCenter.org. Individual show tickets will go on sale on October 5, 2015, and will be available through CityTix®, online, and at the New York City Center Box Office (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues).