New York City Center's Encores!® Great American Musicals in Concert has been performing since 1994. Encores! is dedicated to performing the full score of musicals that may otherwise rarely be heard in New York City. Each season consists of three different shows. The music of Stephen Sondheim, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, George and Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, Kander & Ebb, Jule Styne, and Comden and Green have been heard at an Encores! production. New York City Center Logo New York City Center is a 2,750-seat performing arts venue located on West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan, New York City. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Rodgers and Hammerstein is the songwriting team consisting of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Rodgers had previously been in a successful partnership with Lorenz Hart (see Rodgers and Hart). ... Rodgers and Hart (1936) Rodgers and Hart was the songwriting team of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. ... Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter from Indiana. ... Irving Berlin (May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was an American composer and lyricist, one of the most prodigious and famous American songwriters in history. ... Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900 – April 3, 1950), born in Dessau, Germany and died in New York City, was a German and in his later years, a German-American composer active from the 1920s until his death. ... George and Ira Gershwin were brothers George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin who became famous as songwriters. ... Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of popular music. ... Jerry Bock (born 1928) is a Jewish-American musical theatre composer best known for his collaboration with lyricist Sheldon Harnick on shows such as Fiddler on the Roof. ... Sheldon Harnick (born 1924) is an American lyricist best known for his collaboration with composer Jerry Bock on hit musicals such as Fiddler on the Roof. ... Kander and Ebb is the songwriting team of composer John Kander, born March 18, 1927 and lyricist Fred Ebb (April 8, 1933 - September 11, 2004). ... Jule Styne (December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was a British born American songwriter. ... Comden and Green was the writing duo of Betty Comden and Adolph Green. ...

Actors involved in productions at Encores! appear with book-in-hand, and have had little more than a week or two of rehearsal. Staging and choreography have become more common over the years.

Performers who have appeared in the Encores! series include Adam Arkin, Philip Bosco, Liz Callaway, Marilyn Cooper, Gregg Edelman, Donna McKechnie, Faith Prince, Stephen Bogardus, Christine Ebersole, Celeste Holm, Christopher Reeves, Tony Goldwyn, Lewis Cleale, Andrea Martin, Peter Scolari, Patti LuPone, Peter Gallagher, Bebe Neuwirth, Jane Krakowski, Vanessa Williams, Ann Reinking, James Naughton, Joel Grey, Marcia Lewis, Dorothy Loudon, Tony Randall, Gary Beach, Martin Short, Christine Baranski, Sarah Uriarte Berry, Mario Cantone, Malcolm Gets, Lynn Redgrave, Judy Kuhn, Kristin Chenoweth, Charles S. Dutton, Julie Newmar, Ruthie Henshall, Nathan Lane, Roger Bart, Lewis J. Stadlen, Idina Menzel, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Maurice Hines, F. Murray Abraham, Len Cariou, and Doris Roberts in productions directed by Walter Bobbie, Charles Repole, Susan H. Schulman, Lonny Price, Rob Marshall, Jack O'Brien, Kathleen Marshall, and Ann Reinking, among others. Adam Arkin (born August 19, 1956) is an American television, film, and stage actor. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Liz Callaway Liz Callaway (born April 13, 1961) is an American actress and cabaret singer. ... Marilyn Cooper (born December 14, 1936) is a Tony Award-winning American actress known primarily for her work on the Broadway stage. ... Gregg Edelman (born on 12 September 1958 in Chicago, Illinois, USA) is an American movie, television and theatre actor who was trained at Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois). ... Donna McKechnie is a Tony Award-winning American musical theater dancer, singer. ... Faith Prince (born 5 August 1957) is an American actress. ... Stephen Bogardus Stephen Bogardus (born March 11, 1954) is an American actor. ... Christine Ebersole Christine Ebersole (b. ... Holm, circa 1950 Celeste Holm (born April 29, 1919, but some sources indicate 1917) is an American stage, film, and television actress. ... Christopher Reeve (September 25, 1952–October 10, 2004) was an American actor, director, producer and writer renowned for his film portrayal of Superman/Clark Kent. ... Anthony Howard Goldwyn (born May 20, 1960 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actor. ... Lewis Cleale is an American theatre actor and singer. ... Andrea Martin (born January 15, 1947 in Portland, Maine) is an American actress and comediennne of Armenian descent. ... Peter Scolari (born September 12, 1955 in New Rochelle, New York) is an American television, film and stage actor who was seen early in his career in the television programs Bosom Buddies (1980 - 1982), Newhart (1984-1990), and later in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show (1997 - 2000). ... Patti LuPone in her Tony Award winning role as Eva Perón in the Broadway musical Evita. ... Peter Killian Gallagher (born August 19, 1955) is a Golden Globe award winning American actor. ... Bebe Neuwirth Beatrice Bebe Neuwirth (born December 31, 1958) is an American theater, television, and film actress. ... Jane Krakowski (née Krajkowski, born October 11, 1968 in Parsippany, New Jersey) is an American actress. ... Vanessa Lynn Williams This article is about Vanessa Williams the actress and singer, for the actress on Melrose Place see Vanessa Williams (actress). ... Ann Reinking (born November 10, 1949 in Seattle, Washington) is an American actress and dancer, most famous for her association with choreographer Bob Fosse. ... James Naughton (b. ... Joel Grey (born 11 April 1932 as Joel Katz in Cleveland, Ohio, United States) is a Jewish-American stage and screen actor. ... Marcia Lewis (born August 8, 1938) is an American character actress. ... Dorothy Loudon (September 17, 1933 - November 15, 2003) was a Broadway actress noted for her comedy and belting singing voice, which she used to deliver a wide range of musical comedy and Roaring Twenties songs. ... Tony Randall (February 26, 1920 – May 17, 2004) was an American comic actor. ... Gary Beach is an American actor, primarily in Broadway musical theatre. ... Martin Hayter Short, CM (born March 26, 1950 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian/American actor, writer, and producer. ... Christine Baranski Christine Baranski (born 2 May 1952) is an American actress. ... With husband Michael in May 2005 Sarah Uriarte Berry is an American actress and singer. ... Mario Cantone (born December 9, 1959 in Boston) is an American stand-up comedian and actor with numerous appearances on Comedy Central including Chappelles Show. ... Malcolm Gets is an American actor born on December 28, 1964. ... Lynn Rachel Redgrave OBE (born 8 March 1943 in London) is an English actress born into the famous acting Redgrave family. ... Judy Kuhn is an American actress and singer. ... Kristin Chenoweth (born Kristi Dawn Chenoweth on July 24, 1968) is an American singer and Tony Award-winning American stage film actress. ... Charles Dutton (born January 30, 1951 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American actor/director. ... Julie Newmar as Catwoman Julie Newmar (born August 16, 1933 as Julia Charlene Newmeyer) is an American actress, dancer, and singer. ... Ruthie Henshall is a British singer, dancer, and actress. ... Nathan Lane (born February 3, 1956) is a Screen Actors Guild Award and Tony Award-winning American actor of the stage and screen. ... Roger Bart is Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and SAG Award-winning television, stage and film actor and singer. ... Lewis J. Stadlen was an American actor who starred on Benson for its first season as John Taylor, Governor Gatlings chief of staff. ... Idina Menzel (born Idina Kim Mentzel on May 30, 1971 in New York City) is an American actress, singer and songwriter who is best known for her Tony Award-winning performance in Wicked and her Tony-nominated performance in Rent. ... Brian Stokes Mitchell (b. ... Maurice Hines (born 1943) is an American actor, director, and choreographer. ... Fahrid Murray Abraham[1] (born October 24, 1939) is an American actor. ... Len Cariou (born September 30, 1939 in Saint Boniface, Manitoba) is a Canadian actor. ... Doris May Roberts (b. ... Born on November 18, 1945 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Walter Bobbie is a noted dancer, choreographer, director and occasional actor. ... Charles Repole is an American actor, theatre director, and college professor. ... Susan H. Schulman is an American theater director. ... Lonny Price (born March 9, 1959) is an American actor, writer, and director, primarily in theatre. ... Rob Marshall is a director. ... This article is about the theatre director and producer. ... Kathleen Marshall is a choreographer, director and creative consultant. ... Ann Reinking (born November 10, 1949 in Seattle, Washington) is an American actress and dancer, most famous for her association with choreographer Bob Fosse. ...

The Encores! series has been honored with the Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre (2000), the Association for Independent Music "Indie" Award (1998), the Jujamcyn Theater Award (1997), several Lucille Lortel Awards, and an Outer Critics Circle Award. What is popularly called the Tony Award (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theater, including musical theater, primarily honoring productions on Broadway in New York. ... Born Lucille Wadler in New York City on December 16, 1900, Lucille Lortel was originally an actress in the 1920s (she once recollected comparing breast sizes with Helen Hayes), who went on to become an Off-Broadway theater producer and empresaria with the help of a wealthy husband. ... Begun during the 1949-1950 theater season, the Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway. ...

Cast recordings of the Encores! productions of Call Me Madam, Out Of This World, Pal Joey, Chicago, The Boys From Syracuse, St. Louis Woman, Babes In Arms, Do Re Mi, and Tenderloin have been released. A cast recording or original cast recording is a recording of a musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. ... Call Me Madam is one of Irving Berlins last musical comedies. ... Pal Joey Studio cast album 1950 Pal Joey is a 1940 Broadway musical by American writer John OHara, with music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. ... Chicago is a musical, based on the play Chicago by Maurine Dallas Watkins. ... The Boys from Syracuse is a musical by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, based on William Shakespeares play, The Comedy of Errors, as adapted by librettist George Abbott, who also directed. ... Babes in Arms is a 1937 musical theater production which tells the story of a boy who puts on a show to avoid being sent to a work farm. ... Cyrano de Bergerac is a play by Edmond Rostand based on the life of the real Cyrano de Bergerac. ... // The Tenderloin (Broadway Musical) The Tenderloin was a musical by the team that produce the hit Fiorello. The book was written by George Abbott & Jerome Weidman, with music by Jerry Bock & lyrics by Sheldon Hardnick. ...

Accredited scholars can view videotapes (only within the library) of many Encores! productions at the Billy Rose Theater Collection of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Productions

1994: Fiorello!, Allegro, Lady in the Dark Fiorello! is a Pulitzer Prize-winning 1959 Broadway musical about New York City mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, a reform Republican who took on Tammany Hall. ... play the music Fast, lively ... Lady in the Dark was a Broadway musical written by Kurt Weill (music), Ira Gershwin (lyrics), and Moss Hart (book and direction). ...

1995: Call Me Madam, Out of This World, Pal Joey Call Me Madam is one of Irving Berlins last musical comedies. ... Cole Porters Out of This World debuted on Broadway in 1950. ... Pal Joey Studio cast album 1950 Pal Joey is a 1940 Broadway musical by American writer John OHara, with music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. ...

1996: DuBarry Was a Lady, One Touch of Venus, Chicago MGM Musical version of DuBarry was a Lady DuBarry Was a Lady was a 1939 musical with songs by Cole Porter. ... One Touch of Venus was a Broadway musical written by Kurt Weill (music), Ogden Nash (lyrics), and S.J. Perelman and Nash (book); it was directed by Elia Kazan and featured choreography by Agnes De Mille. ... Chicago is a musical, based on the play Chicago by Maurine Dallas Watkins. ...

1997: Sweet Adeline, Promises, Promises, The Boys from Syracuse Promises, Promises is a musical, based on the film The Apartment by Billy Wilder. ... The Boys from Syracuse is a musical by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, based on William Shakespeares play, The Comedy of Errors, as adapted by librettist George Abbott, who also directed. ...

1998: Strike Up The Band, Li'l Abner, St. Louis Woman Strike Up The Band may refer to: Strike Up The Band, a 1927 song by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin written for a Broadway musical by the same name Strike Up the Band, a 1940 MGM musical directed by Busby Berkeley and starring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney Strike Up... Lil Abner is a musical theatre production based on the comic strip Lil Abner by Al Capp. ...

1999: Babes in Arms, Ziegfeld Follies of 1936, Do Re Mi Babes in Arms is a 1937 musical theater production which tells the story of a boy who puts on a show to avoid being sent to a work farm. ... Do Re Mi is a theater musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and book by Garson Kanin. ...

2000: On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Tenderloin, Wonderful Town On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever is an original musical play with music by Burton Lane and lyrics and book by Alan Jay Lerner. ... // The Tenderloin (Broadway Musical) The Tenderloin was a musical by the team that produce the hit Fiorello. The book was written by George Abbott & Jerome Weidman, with music by Jerry Bock & lyrics by Sheldon Hardnick. ... Logo for the 2003 Broadway revival of Wonderful Town Wonderful Town is a musical with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Leonard Bernstein. ...

2001: A Connecticut Yankee, Bloomer Girl, Hair A Connecticut Yankee was a 1927 musical by Rogers and Hart, based upon A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court, a novel by American humorist Mark Twain. ... Bloomer Girl was a Broadway musical that premiered on October 4, 1944. ... Hair, subtitled The American Tribal Love/Rock Musical, is a musical about hippies and was a significant part of the drug, music and peace-love culture of the 1960s. ...

2002: Carnival, Golden Boy, The Pajama Game ... Original Broadway poster Golden Boy is a musical with a book by Clifford Odets and William Gibson, lyrics by Lee Adams, and music by Charles Strouse. ... The Pajama Game is a musical based on the novel 7-1/2 Cents by Richard Bissell. ...

2003: House of Flowers, The New Moon, No Strings The Tito Memorial - The House of Flowers in the upscale district of Dedinje, Belgrade. ... The New Moon was a rock music venue in Paris during the 1990s. ... No Strings is a musical drama with a book by Samuel Taylor and words and music by Richard Rodgers, his only score written without a collaborator. ...

2004: Can-Can, Pardon My English, Bye, Bye, Birdie The Can-Can is a musical by Jacques Offenbach from Orpheus in the Underworld: Notes: G, A-C-B-A-D-D, D-E-B-C-A-A, A-C-B-A-G-G-F#-E D-C-B-A-G, A-C-B-A-D-D, D-E-B... Bye Bye Birdie is a Broadway musical satire on American society written by Michael Stewart (book), Lee Adams (lyrics), and Charles Strouse (music). ...

2005: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Purlie, The Apple Tree A Tree Grows In Brooklyn is an American novel by Betty Smith first published in 1943. ... Purlie is a Broadway musical with music by Gary Geld, lyrics by Peter Udell and book by Ossie Davis, Peter Udell and Philip Rose. ... The Apple Tree is a musical with music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. ...

2006: Kismet, 70, Girls, 70, Of Thee I Sing Look up kismet in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 70, Girls, 70 is a musical with a book by Fred Ebb and Norman L. Martin, lyrics by Ebb, and music by John Kander. ... Of Thee I Sing is a musical set in the White House, with music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, to a book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. ...

2007: Follies, Face the Music, Stairway to Paradise Follies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. ... Face the Music was a 1932 Broadway musical revue. ...

References/External links

• Encores! at the Internet Broadway Database
• New York City Center Official Website
• The Evolution of Encores! Working in the Theatre video at American Theatre Wing, January 2007
• Walter Bobbie, Encores! Former Artistic Director Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing, March 2007
• Jack Viertel, Encores! Artistic Director Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing, 2005