New Release Date Announced for THE LIFE, Part of ENCORES! INSIDE THE REVIVAL Series

As previously announced, the first installment of the new Encores! Inside the Revival series will explore The Life, music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Ira Gasman, with book by David Newman, Ira Gasman, and Cy Coleman. The episode is now scheduled to be released Wednesday, November 18, and will be streamed for free on City Center's YouTube page and website at NYCityCenter.org.

In the first installment of the series, Emmy and Tony Award-winning artist Billy Porter (FX's Pose) takes audiences through his reimagining of the 1997 Tony-nominated musical, The Life. Interviewed by Encores! Producing Creative Director Clint Ramos, Porter discusses his vision for an updated take on the story of Queen, a prostitute, and her fellow sex workers, who strive for a better life against all oppressive forces in Times Square in 1980. By re-envisioning the main character of Queen, Porter transforms and evolves the story of The Life into one of hope and survival, honoring the characters' given circumstances, and revealing their universal humanity.

Encores! Inside the Revival is a new digital series, part of New York City Center's 2020-2021 season, which explores the behind-the-scenes process of the next chapter of the longstanding Tony-honored series and launches Lear deBessonet's first season as Encores! Artistic Director. Through this mini documentary series, deBessonet and Encores! Producing Creative Director Clint Ramos pull back the curtain on this rich explorative process and allow the artists' vision to emerge in their own voices through one-on-one conversations and performances. Produced in partnership with filmmaker Juan L. Espinal, each episode examines a specific aspect of the artist's approach to bringing the Encores! production back to life, for our time, and provides historical context for the original Broadway production.