Neil Patrick Harris Replaces Christian Borle as the Baker in Encores! INTO THE WOODS

New York City Center today announced that Emmy and Tony Award winning actor Neil Patrick Harris will join the cast of Encores! Into the Woods as the Baker. Directed by Encores! Artistic Director Lear deBessonet with music direction by Encores! Music Director Rob Berman and choreography by Lorin Latarro, the special two week run of Into the Woods (May 4 - 15) is dedicated to the memory of the legendary Stephen Sondheim. Christian Borle, who was previously announced in the role, is no longer able to perform due to availability.

Harris joins the star studded cast which includes Sara Bareilles, Denée Benton, Gavin Creel, Jordan Donica, Annie Golden, Albert Guerzon, Ann Harada, Heather Headley, Tiffany Denise Hobbs, Brooke Ishibashi, Kennedy Kanagawa, David Patrick Kelly, Julia Lester, Lauren Mitchell, Shereen Pimentel,Cole Thompson, and David Turner. Joining the company for a finale that highlights the ways theater connects us across time is a 72 person, multigenerational community chorus of New York City seniors and publica??school students from City Center's Education Department partners, Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, Louis Armstrong Middle School, and Rosie's Theater Kids.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lear deBessonet and Producing Creative Director Clint Ramos, the Tony honored Encores! series broadens its embrace with three expressions of musical theater revivals: unearthing hidden gems, an artist's personal lens, and celebrating a classic musical that connects us across generations. Encores! Into the Woods represents this third tenet and ushers in a new annual tradition at City Center celebrating iconic musicals.

The opening night Spring Gala | Encores! Into the Woods on May 4 at 6pm honors New York City Center President and CEO Arlene Shuler for her 19 years of extraordinary service. Shuler will be stepping down following the 2021 - 2022 Season. Funds raised at the Spring Gala allow City Center to build upon her legacy of artistic excellence while upholding its founding mission to provide access to the best in the performing arts for all New Yorkers. Gala packages start at $2,500. For additional details, contact SpecialEvents@NYCityCenter.org or call 212.763.1205.

The final performance of Into the Woods on May 15 will be dedicated to outgoing Encores! Music Director Rob Berman for his 15 years as Encores! Music Director. He will return in future seasons as a guest music director.

Encores! single tickets start at $35. Tickets can be purchased online at NYCityCenter.org, by calling 212.581.1212, or at the City Center Box Office. New York City Center is located at 131 W 55th St between Sixth and Seventh avenues.

New York City Center is committed to following the latest health and safety protocols. For the latest information on updated health, safety, and ticket policies, visit NYCityCenter.org/PlanYourVisit

Neil Patrick Harris originated the role of Hedwig in the Broadway production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Tony, Drama League, and Drama Desk Awards). His Sondheim work includes Assassins (Studio 54), Company (New York Philharmonic), Sweeney Todd (NY Phil, San Francisco Symphony), and Evening Primrose (Album, 2001). Other theater credits: Proof (Walter Kerr Theatre), Cabaret (Studio 54), All My Sons (Geffen Theater), Tick, Tick...BOOM! (Menier Chocolate Factory), Romeo and Juliet (Old Globe Theater), and Rent (La Jolla/Los Angeles). Recent onscreen gigs: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Matrix 4, and It's A Sin for HBO Max and Britain's Channel 4. Harris won four Emmy Awards as host of the Tony Awards (and a fifth for Glee!). He was Count Olaf in A Series of Unfortunate Events on Netflix, Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother on CBS, Doogie Howser, M.D. on VHS, and Dr. Horrible online.

NEW YORK CITY CENTER (Arlene Shuler, President & CEO) has played a defining role in the cultural life of the city since 1943. Manhattan's first performing arts center, City Center was founded by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia with the mission of making the best in music, theater, and dance accessible to all audiences. This commitment continues today through celebrated dance and musical theater series including the Fall for Dance Festival, the Tonya??honored Encores! and Encores! Off Center, and the newest series Artists at the Center and City Center Dance Festival. The distinctive neo-Moorish theater welcomes over 300,000 annual visitors to experience internationally acclaimed artists on the same stage where legends like George Balanchine, Leonard Bernstein, Barbara Cook, José Ferrer, Martha Graham, and Paul Robeson made their mark. Home to a roster of renowned national and international companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, City Center's Principal Dance Company, and Manhattan Theatre Club, City Center's dynamic programming, art exhibitions, studio events, and master classes, are complemented by education and community engagement programs that bring the performing arts to over 11,000 New York City students, teachers, and families each year. NYCityCenter.org