Official: Fantasia to Be First Guest Star in AFTER MIDNIGHT on Broadway; Tickets on Sale July 22

In its heyday, the Cotton Club featured a cavalcade of guest stars each week, known then as "Celebrity Nights," including the likes of Lena Horne, Judy Garland, George Gershwin, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sophie Tucker, Al Jolson, Bessie Smith, Fanny Brice and many others. After Midnight will reintroduce this exciting tradition by presenting stars of today in limited engagement appearances throughout the musical's run. Grammy Award-winning recording artist Fantasia, who was last seen on Broadway in her stunning and universally praised star turn in The Color Purple, has been confirmed to kick off the excitement as the first such guest star in After Midnight. Barrino will play performances through Sunday, February 9, 2014. Directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle and featuring the big-band sounds of nine-time Grammy Award-winner Wynton Marsalis' Jazz at Lincoln Center All-Stars, After Midnightwill begin preview performances on Friday, October 18, 2013 with an official opening night set forSunday, November 3, 2013. Tickets for After Midnight will go on sale to the general public aftermidnight (12:01 a.m.) on Monday, July 22, 2013. Complete casting and musicians will be announced shortly.

Fantasia rose to fame as the winner of the third season of "American Idol" in 2004. She received overwhelming critical acclaim for her star turn as Celie, the oppressed central character, in the Tony Award-nominated musical, The Color Purple in 2007. In a performance the New York Post called "Tender, touching and effortless," critics and audiences alike praised Fantasia for her talents as both an actress and singer, while also recognizing her strong personal connection to the material. As a recording artist, Fantasia has sold nearly three million records and 1.5 million digital tracks to date. She won the 2011 Grammy Award for "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" for "Bittersweet," the lead single from her third solo album, "Back to Me." This past April, Fantasia released her fourth album, "Side Effects of You."

Jazz is a state of mind. It's a structure for innovation, forward momentum and freedom. The evocative new musical After Midnight will take the sexy, smoky glamour of the original Jazz Age and catapult it into a whole new era of heart-pounding, mind-blowing entertainment for modern Broadway audiences. Refracted through a contemporary lens, After Midnight will celebrate Duke Ellington's years at the Cotton Club using his original arrangements and performed by a world-class big band of 17 musicians hand-picked by living jazz legend, Wynton Marsalis. The timeless tunes set against a narrative of Langston Hughes poetry will provide an authentic backdrop for an array of cutting-edge performances by 25 sensational vocalists and dancers, including special guest stars, whose interpretations will shatter everything you think you know about music, nightlife and Broadway. Welcome to the new Jazz Age.

After Midnight is a new production of Cotton Club Parade which played two smash-hit, sold-out engagements at City Center. Conceived by Jack Viertel, After Midnight features direction and choreography by Warren Carlyle, musical direction by Wynton Marsalis and musical supervision by Daryl Waters.

The design team for After Midnight will include prolific design couple Isabel Toledo (costumes) and Ruben Toledo, Tony Award-winners John Lee Beatty (set design) and Howell Binkley(lighting design) and Peter Hylenski (sound).

After Midnight is produced by Scott Sanders Productions, and Wynton Marsalis, in association with Marks-Moore-Turnbull Group; Stephen and Ruth Hendel; Tom Kirdahy.

The performance schedule for After Midnight will be as follows: October 18 through November 3, 2013: Mondays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. with matinee performances on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2 p.m. There will not be a performance on Thursday, October 31 and curtain will be at6:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 3 (opening night). Beginning November 5, 2013: Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and matinee performances on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2 pm and Sundays at 3 pm. Tickets range from $60.00 to $142.00 (premium tickets will be available for $199). Tickets for groups of 12 or more can be purchased by calling 212-239-6262 or 800-432-7780 or by visiting http://groups.telecharge.com.