ENCORES!

Just announced, Obie Award-winning BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON composer and lyricist Michael Friedman will take over as artistic director of New York City Center's popular Encores! Off-Center summer musical theater series.

This past weekend, Encores! brought back the classic Tony Award-winning musical about how the founding fathers drafted the Declaration of Independence and gave birth to a new nation. 

Encores! Artistic Director Jack Viertel today announced casting for the Encores! production of Do I Hear a Waltz?, the romantic, rarely-seen 1965 musical that marked the only collaboration of Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim. Do I Hear a Waltz? will star Claybourne Elder, Melissa Errico, Sarah Hunt, Zachary Infante, Cass Morgan, Richard Poe, Michael Rosen, Sarah Stiles, and Richard Troxell. The ensemble includes Kristine Bendul, Paloma Garcia-Lee, Jenny Laroche, Jennifer Locke, Nathan Madden, Skye Mattox, Devin Roberts, Manny Stark, and Alex Wong.

Up next in the Encores! season is 1776, the classic Tony Award-winning musical about how the founding fathers drafted the Declaration of Independence and gave birth to a new nation. A unique show that presents John Adams (Santino Fontana), Thomas Jefferson (John Behlmann), andBenjamin Franklin (John Larroquette) in all their fractious, fascinating complexity, 1776 features such beloved songs as 'Sit Down, John,' 'Cool, Cool, Considerate Men,' and 'He Plays the Violin.'

Up next in the Encores! season is 1776, the classic Tony Award-winning musical about how the founding fathers drafted the Declaration of Independence and gave birth to a new nation. A unique show that presents John Adams (Santino Fontana), Thomas Jefferson (John Behlmann), andBenjamin Franklin (John Larroquette) in all their fractious, fascinating complexity, 1776 features such beloved songs as 'Sit Down, John,' 'Cool, Cool, Considerate Men,' and 'He Plays the Violin.'

Santino Fontana's smart and empathetic performance highlights the production of one of Broadway's best-written musicals.

BroadwayWorld brings you performance highlights below!

BroadwayWorld was in the rehearsal room with the cast today, where they treated us to a sneak peek of 'Till Then' (performed by Santino Fontana and Christiane Noll) and 'Sit Down, John'. Check out the numbers and meet the cast and creative team below!

BroadwayWorld was in the rehearsal room with the cast today, where they treated us to a sneak peek of 'Till Then' (performed by Santino Fontana and Christiane Noll) and 'Sit Down, John'.

Playing the radiant Martha Jefferson will be Nikki Renne Daniels, whose extensive Broadway credits include THE BOOK OF MORMON, PORGY AND BESS, ANYTHING GOES, and LES MISERABLES. Rehearsals for the production have only just begun and Nikki checked in with BroadwayWorld earlier this week to tell us all about her preparations. Check out the full interview below!

Encores! Artistic Director Jack Viertel today announced casting for the Encores! production of 1776, the classic Tony Award-winning musical about how the founding fathers drafted the Declaration of Independence and gave birth to a new nation. 1776 will star Terence Archie, John Behlmann, Larry Bull, Nikki Renee Daniels, Andre De Shields, Macintyre Dixon, Santino Fontana, Alexander Gemignani, John Hickok, John Hillner, John Larroquette, Kevin Ligon, John-Michael Lyles, Laird Mackintosh, Michael McCormick, Michael Medeiros, Christiane Noll, Bryce Pinkham, Wayne Pretlow, Tom Alan Robbins, Robert Sella, Ric Stoneback, Jubilant Sykes, Vishal Vaidya, Nicholas Ward, and Jacob Keith Watson. 

Over the summer, Jonathan Groff led the Encores! Off-Center production of William Finn and James Lapine's A NEW BRAIN, and fans who didn't make it to the show need not worry any longer. The production's two-disc cast recording (featuring the entire 95-minute show) from PS Classics is now available. Order your copy today at www.psclassics.com/cd_anewbrain.html. The production also starred Jenni Barber, Quentin Earl Darrington, Bradley Dean, Dan Fogler, Ana Gasteyer, Josh Lamon, Aaron Lazar, Alyse Alan Louis and Rema Webb. The company just reunited for a listening party and you can check out photos from the special night below!

Harvey Blanks, Chuck Cooper, Marva Hicks, Carly Hughes, LaChanze, Norm Lewis, Forrest McClendon, and J.D. Webster star in Vernon Duke and John Latouche's jazz-filled fable CABIN IN THE SKY, running for seven performances for Encores! at New York City Center, now through February 14. Let's see what the critics had to say...

The 1940 musical will most likely never be fully revived, but the Encores! concert mounting features a wonderful cast and sweet Vernon Duke music.

Harvey Blanks, Chuck Cooper, Marva Hicks, Carly Hughes, LaChanze, Norm Lewis, Forrest McClendon, and J.D. Webster star in Vernon Duke and John Latouche's jazz-filled fable Cabin in the Sky, running for seven performances for Encores! at New York City Center, tonight, February 10, through February 14. The 1940 musical is directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson with choreography by Camille A. Brown. BroadwayWorld brings you highlights from the show below!

Harvey Blanks, Chuck Cooper, Marva Hicks, Carly Hughes, LaChanze, Norm Lewis, Forrest McClendon, and J.D. Webster star in Vernon Duke and John Latouche's jazz-filled fable CABIN IN THE SKY, running for seven performances for Encores! at New York City Center, tonight, February 10, through February 14.

The first musical by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman was an adventurous sign of things to come.

The 2016 season will be Tesori's fourth and final season leading Encores! Off-Center.

The 2016 season of New York City Center's Tony-honored Encores! will open with Cabin in the Sky on February 10-14, 2016, with an all-star cast, including: Harvy Blanks, Chuck Cooper,Marva Hicks, Carly Hughes, Jonathan Kirkland, LaChanze, Norm Lewis, Forrest McClendon,Michael Potts and J.D. Webster. The company just gave us a special sneak peek and BroadwayWorld was there for the big day. Check out interviews with the company and a performance preview below!

The 2016 season of New York City Center's Tony-honored Encores! will open with Cabin in the Sky on February 10-14, 2016, with an all-star cast, including: Harvy Blanks, Chuck Cooper, Marva Hicks, Carly Hughes, Jonathan Kirkland, LaChanze, Norm Lewis, Forrest McClendon, Michael Potts and J.D. Webster. The company just gave us a special sneak peek and you can check out performances from LaChanze, Potts and Hughes below!

In 1970, the Broadway company of 1776 played a special performance at The White House.

BroadwayWorld has confirmed that Encores! Off-Center Artistic Director and Tony winner Jeanine Tesori has today added Elizabeth Swados' 1978 musical Runaways to the 2016 Encores! Off-Center season. The news comes just days after Swados passed away.

Watch it live! New York City Center and The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WNYC will live-stream the upcoming City Center Encores! Unscripted event on Monday, December 14 at 7pm at thegreespace.org.

The landmark musical with a score by Vernon Duke and John Latouche is the next offering from City Center's Encores!

Encores! Artistic Director Jack Viertel today announced the creative teams for New York City Center's 2016 Encores! season. J. Bernard Calloway, Chuck Cooper, Marva Hicks, Carly Hughes, LaChanze, Norm Lewis, Forrest McClendon, and J.D. Webster will star in Vernon Duke and John Latouche's jazz?filled fable Cabin in the Sky, running for seven performances at City Center from February 10-14. The 1940 musical will be directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago?Hudson with choreography by Camille A. Brown.