Press Releases

Marin Mazzie, Douglas Sills, Dick Latessa , Tom Alan Robbins,Sierra Boggess, Walter Charles, Anne L. Nathan and Sally Ann Howes have been cast in Kern and Hammerstein’s Music in the Air, the second Encores! production of New York City Center’s 2008 - 2009 season, playing for five performances, February 5 – 8 at City Center, West 55 th Street (between 6 th and 7 th Avenues). Music in the Air, a rarely seen 1932 musical, will be directed by Gary Griffin with music direction by Rob Berman and choreography by Michael Lichtefeld.

Music in the Air , with music by Jerome Kern, book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett, has been restored by the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization and not been seen in New York in its original form since its premiere Broadway engagement at the Alvin Theatre in 1932. Opening on November 8 th of that year, it played for 342 performances in a production directed by the authors. A revised version had a brief revival at the Ziegfeld Theatre in 1951.

Music in the Air is a musical romance, with the wit and elegance of an Ernst Lubitsch film. It’s the story of a Bavarian music teacher (Robbins), his beautiful young daughter (Boggess), and the daughter’s suitor, who travel to the big, bad city of Munich where they encounter a cast of self-involved, egotistical theater folk who promise them fame, fortune and romance. Marin Mazzie and Douglas Sills play a Diva (Mazzie) and an operetta librettist (Sills) who take the young couple under their wings (and claws). Songs include “I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star” and “The Song Is You.”

Sierra Boggess made her Broadway debut when she originated the role of Ariel in the The Little Mermaid. Her previous credits include the roles of Christine in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular and Cosette in the national tour of Les Misérables.

Walter Charles made his Broadway debut in the original production of Grease. His additional Broadway credits include 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Sweeney Todd, Cats, La Cage aux Folles, Me and My Girl, Aspects of Love, Kiss Me, Kate, The Boys from Syracuse, Big River, The Woman in White, and The AppleTree. Charles' screen credits include A Fine Mess, Fletch Lives, Weeds, and Prancer.

Sally Ann Howes made her Broadway debut in 1957, when she took over the role of Eliza Doolittle from Julie Andrews in My Fair Lady to great acclaim. Her subsequent Broadway appearances include a brief run in the 1961 musical Kwamina , written by her husband, Richard Adler, which centered on an interracial love story and was considered too controversial for its time. In 1962, she starred in a short revival of the musical Brigadoon at the New York City Opera, garnering a Tony nomination, the first performer to be nominated for a revival performance. In 1964 she starred on Broadway opposite Robert Alda and Steve Lawrence in What Makes Sammy Run? She appeared on many television shows of the 50s and 60s, including “Perry Como,” “Dinah Shore,” “Jack Parr” and “ The Tonight Show.” She appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show” four times. She appeared in many films, but is best known for her portrayal of Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Dick Latessa won both the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in Hairspray. His many other theater credits include Cabaret, Damn Yankees, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Follies, Rags, The Cherry Orchard, Awake and Sing!, Broadway Bound, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Rumors, and Chapter Two. Latessa's film credits include The Substance of Fire, Alfie, and Stigmata. He has appeared in numerous television movies, including Izzy and Moe, The Trial of Bernhard Goetz, and Pudd'nhead Wilson, and primetime series such “Get Smart,” "Mission: Impossible,” “Ironside,” “Spenser: For Hire,” “The Sopranos,” “Ed,” and “Law & Order.”

Marin Mazzie is a three-time Tony Award nominee for her performances in Kiss Me, Kate; Ragtime and Passion. Her other theatrical credits include Spamalot, Man of La Mancha, Into the Woods, Big River, the New York Philharmonic production of Camelot,The World Goes 'Round and Off-Broadway's The Trojan Women: A Love Story, where she met husband Jason Danieley. Mazzie also starred in the London production of Kiss Me, Kate, where she earned an Olivier Award nomination for her work, and played a recent stint in the London cast of Spamalot. She was also seen in the Actors' Fund of America's concert staging of On the Twentieth Century. Her previous Encores! credits include Out of This World and Kismet.

Anne L. Nathan has appeared on Broadway in Sunday in the Park with George, Assassins, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Ragtime and Chicago.

Douglas Sills made his Broadway debut as Percy in Wildhorn's The Scarlet Pimpernel, earning Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations as well as a Theatre World Award for his performance, and portrayed Orin Scrivello D.D.S. in Little Shop of Horrors. He starred at the Kennedy Center in A Little Night Music; the first national tours of The Secret Garden and Into the Woods; and the Los Angeles premiere of Chess. A two-time Drama-Logue Award winner, Sills appeared in Moonlight and Magnolias at Manhattan Theatre Club and in numerous regional theater productions. His TV credits include "Murphy Brown," "Sisters," "Coach" and "Party of Five."

Tom Alan Robbins is currently appearing on Broadway as Pumbaa in The Lion King. His previous Broadway credits include Sunset Boulevard, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, The Threepenny Opera and OnceUpon a Mattress. Off-Broadway, he has appeared in On the Verge, Isn’t It Romantic, The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket, The Cradle Will Rock and the Shakespeare Festival’s Henry V. His previous Encores! credits include Tenderloin and Pardon My English.

Michael Lichtefeld has choreographed five Broadway musicals, including The Secret Garden, The Sound of Music and Sweeney Todd. He was nominated as best choreographer for The Drama Desk Award, The L.A. Ovation Award, and three Outer Critics Circle Awards. He choreographed six Off-Broadway musicals and his national and international tours have played all over the world.

Gary Griffin made his Broadway debut with The Color Purpleand his production of Pacific Overtures was seen at London's Donmar Warehouse and received the Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production. He is associate artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theatre where he has directed A Little Night Music and Sunday in the Park with George. His production of My Fair Lady played both the McCarter Theatre and Hartford Stage after its debut at Chicago's Court Theatre. Griffin has received eight Joseph Jefferson Awards for directing and has twice been named a "Chicagoan of the Year in the Arts" by the Chicago Tribune. Griffin’s previous Encores! credits include The Apple Tree (and the subsequent Broadway production), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Pardon My English, and The New Moon.

Rob Berman is currently in his second season as music director of Encores! where he has conducted productions of Stairway to Paradise, Applause, and the Encores! Summer Stars production of Damn Yankees. He is music supervisor of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, now playing on Broadway. Other Broadway credits include The Pajama Game, Wonderful Town, and The Apple Tree. Earlier this year he supervised and arranged the world premiere of The Gershwins’ An American In Paris. Rob won a Helen Hayes Award for his musical direction of Sunday in the Park with George at the Kennedy Center. He is also music director of the Kennedy Center Honors Orchestra.

The Newman’s Own Foundation is a proud sponsor of Encores!  The Newman's Own Foundation is an independent private foundation which derives its grant-making income from royalty payments received in conjunction with the sale of Newman's Own food products.  Since the inception of Newman's Own in the early 1980s, over $200 million has been donated to thousands of charitable organizations worldwide.

The 2008-2009 Encores! season is made possible in part by the Stephanie and Fred Shuman Fund for Encores! with additional support from the Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Charitable Trust and Roz and Jerry Meyer.

New York City CenterEncores! (Jack Viertel, Artistic Director; Rob Berman, Music Director) has, since 1994, celebrated the rarely-heard works of America’s most important composers and lyricists. Conceived as concert versions, each Encores! season gives three scores the chance to be heard as originally intended by their creators. Over the years, Encores! has presented the works of the Gershwins, Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, Bock and Harnick, Burt Bacharach, Kander and Ebb, Comden and Green, and many others. The program is the recipient of a special 2000 Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, as well as an Outer Critics Circle Award, Lucille Lortel Award and Jujamcyn Theaters Award.

New York City Center (Arlene Shuler, President and CEO) has long been known and beloved by New York audiences not only as one of the City’s preeminent performing art institutions but also as an accessible and welcoming venue for dance and theater.  New York City Center produces the Tony-honored Encores! musical theater series, and is home to some of the country’s leading dance companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Paul Taylor Dance Company and Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, as well as Manhattan Theatre Club, one of New York’s leading theater companies. In 2004 New York City Center launched the acclaimed Fall for Dance Festival, continuing to fulfill its mission to make the arts accessible to the broadest possible audience. In 2006, New York City Center formed partnerships with both London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre to facilitate the exchange of innovative dance works, and with Carnegie Hall to work together on exciting new programming initiatives between the two neighboring institutions. In 2007 New York City Center introduced the Encores! Summer Stars series with the critically-acclaimed production of Gypsy¸ currently enjoying a successful run on Broadway, which was followed by this past summer’s Damn Yankees starring Sean Hayes and Jane Krakowski.

Andrea Martin, Michael Cumpsty and Tony Yazbeck have been cast in On the Town , the opening production of New York City Center’s 2008-09 Encores! season, running November 19 - 23.On the Town, the first Broadway musical written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green with a score by Leonard Bernstein,will be directed by JohnRando with music direction by Todd Ellison and choreography by Warren Carlyle. The production is part of the city-wide Leonard Bernstein 90 th Birthday Celebration.

On the Town, with music by Leonard Bernstein and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green based on an idea by Jerome Robbins, was inspired by Robbins’ 1944 ballet, “Fancy Free.” Although much of the original choreography has been lost, Robbins did restage three numbers for Jerome Robbins’ Broadway in 1989. Carlyle will reproduce the original Robbins’ choreography for three numbers: “ New York, New York,” “Ya Got Me,” and “Times Square Ballet.” Scott Wise, who won the Tony Award for his performance in Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, will assist Mr. Carlyle in reconstructing the choreography.

The cast includes Justin Bohon, Christian Borle, Michael Cumpsty, Jessica Lee Goldyn, Leslie Kritzer, Andrea Martin, Julyana Soelistyo, Jennifer Laura Thompson and Tony Yazbeck, with Lawrence Alexander, Andrea Beasom, Kristine Bendul, Tanya Birl, Angie Canuel, John Carroll, Rachel Coloff, Michael Cusumano, Susan Derry, Emilee Dupre, Autumn Hurlbert, Ryan Jackson, Mary MacLeod, Monica L. Patton, Adam Perry, Steve Schepis, Geno Segers, Charlie Sutton, Kevin Vortmann, Price Waldman, J.D. Webster and Ashley Yeater.

Set in wartime 1944, On the Town chronicles the adventures of three sailors (Justin Bohon, Christian Borle and Tony Yazbeck) on a 24-hour shore leave in New York City. Their fabulous day-long journey is spurred by a search for sailor Gabey’s dream girl, “Miss Turnstiles.” Along the way, each sailor falls in love with a woman, and with New York City itself.

The original Broadway production of On the Town, directed by George Abbott and starring Nancy Walker, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, opened at the Adelphi Theatre on December 28, 1944, playing a total of 462 performances. It has since been revived at the Imperial Theatre in 1971 and the Gershwin Theatre in 1998. Songs from On the Town include “ New York, New York,” “Some Other Time,” and “I Can Cook, Too.”

This production is part of Bernstein:The Best of All Possible Worlds, a partnership with Carnegie Hall and the New York Philharmonic. For more information, visit bernsteinfestival.org. On the Town is made possible with major support from the Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Charitable Trust.

Justin Bohon (Chip)received Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for his role as Will Parker in the recent Broadway revival of Oklahoma! He has also appeared on Broadway in All Shook Up, The Producers andMiss Saigon.

Christian Borle (Ozzie) received 2007 Tony, Drama Desk and Drama League Award nominations for his work in Legally Blonde.  His other Broadway credits include Spamalot (Clarence Derwent Award, Drama Desk nomination), Thoroughly Modern Millie, Amour, Footloose andJesus Christ Superstar. Off-Broadway, he has been seen in: Elegies: A Song Cycle by William Finn at Lincoln Center, and Prodigal at the York.

Michael Cumpsty’s ( Pitkin W. Bridgework) many Broadway theater credits include La Bête, Timon of Athens, The Heiress, 1776, Copenhagen, 42nd Street, and The Constant Wife. Most recently, Cumpsty played the title role in a Classic Stage Company production of Richard III.

Jessica Lee Goldyn (Ivy) made her Broadway debut in the recent revival of A Chorus Line . Her national and international tour credits include Fosse, A Chorus Line, Sweet Charity and Pippin.

Leslie Kritzer ( Hildy Esterhazy) appeared on Broadway in A Catered Affair, Hairsprayand Legally Blonde. Off-Broadway she received a Drama Desk nomination for her performance in The Great American Trailer Park Musical and was seen in Bat Boyand Godspell, and her regional credits include Vanities and Babes in Arm s. She played Rizzo in Grease and Fanny Brice in Funny Girlat Paper Mill Playhouse. Leslie was awarded a 2007 Special Achievement MAC Award for her show Leslie Kritzer Is Patti LuPone At Les Mouches.

Andrea Martin (Madame P. Dilly) made her Broadway debut in My Favorite Year, for which she won the Theatre World and Drama Desk Awards. She received Tony Award nominations for her performances in Young Frankenstein, Candide and Oklahoma! and she portrayed Golde in the recent revival of Fiddler on the Roof . Andrea wrote and performed in the critically acclaimed one-woman show Nude, Nude, Totally Nude in Los Angeles and New York City, where she garnered a 1996 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show.

Julyana Soelistyo ( Lucy Schmeeler) won a Clarence Derwent Award and was nominated for a Tony Award, for her portrayal of both the 10-year -old and the 80-year-old Eng Ahn in David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child, which premiered at the Public Theater before moving to Broadway. Julyana has appeared in the films Earthly Possessions and Martin Scorsese's Bringing Out The Dead.

Jennifer Laura Thompson ( Claire DeLoone) made her Broadway debut in Footloose. She also originated the role of Hope Cladwell in both the off-Broadway and Broadway productions of Urinetown, garnering a Tony Award nomination. On Broadway, she portrayed Glinda in Wicked, and her off Broadway credits include the lead role in the Michael John LaChiusa musical, Little Fish. Her previous Encores! credits include Of Thee I Sing, Pardon My English and Strike Up the Band.

Tony Yazbeck (Gabey)originated the role of Tulsa in the Encores!Summer Stars production of Gypsy, currently playing on Broadway. His additional Broadway credits include A Chorus Line , Oklahoma!, Never Gonna Dance and Gypsy (with Tyne Daly). He has appeared Off-Broadway in Fanny Hill and three Encores! productions: Pardon My English, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and The Apple Tree.

John Rando ’s (Director) Broadway credits include The Wedding Singer and Urinetown (Tony Award for Best Director), The Dinner Party and A Thousand Clowns. His other credits include Polish Joke at Manhattan Theatre Club. He was director of this past summer’s Encores!Summer Stars production of Damn Yankees. His previous Encores! credits include, Face the Music, Strike Up the Band, Do Re Mi,The Pajama Game and Of Thee I Sing.

Warren Carlyle (Choreographer) choreographed the Encores! productions of Juno and Stairway to Paradise, and is the director-choreographer of the current Broadway production of A Tale of Two Cities. His other New York credits include You Again for the NY Fringe Festival, Working and Slut! Regionally he has choreographed Mame at The Kennedy Center, The Pirates of Penzance at Goodspeed and Paper Mill Playhouse and The Baker’s Wife at Goodspeed, among many others.

Todd Ellison’s (Guest Music Director) many Broadway c redits include Spamalot, 42nd Street, Amour, Wild Party, On the Town, Once Upon A Mattress, How to Succeed…, She Loves Me, Cats, Starlight Express, Annie 2 and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

On the Town is made possible with major support from the Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Charitable Trust.

The Newman’s Own Foundation is a proud sponsor of Encores!  The Newman's Own Foundation is an independent private foundation which derives its grant-making income from royalty payments received in conjunction with the sale of Newman's Own food products.  Since the inception of Newman's Own in the early 1980s, over $200 million has been donated to thousands of charitable organizations worldwide.

The 2008-2009 Encores! season is made possible in part by the Stephanie and Fred Shuman Fund for Encores! with additional support from Roz and Jerry Meyer.

New York City CenterEncores! (Jack Viertel, Artistic Director; Rob Berman, Music Director) has, since 1994, celebrated the rarely-heard works of America’s most important composers and lyricists. Conceived as concert versions, each Encores! season gives three scores the chance to be heard as originally intended by their creators. Over the years, Encores! has presented the works of the Gershwins, Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, Bock and Harnick, Burt Bacharach, Kander and Ebb, Comden and Green, and many others. The program is the recipient of a special 2000 Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, as well as an Outer Critics Circle Award, Lucille Lortel Award and Jujamcyn Theaters Award.

New York City Center (Arlene Shuler, President and CEO) has long been known and beloved by New York audiences not only as one of the City’s preeminent performing art institutions but also as an accessible and welcoming venue for dance and theater.  New York City Center produces the Tony-honored Encores! musical theater series, and is home to some of the country’s leading dance companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Paul Taylor Dance Company and Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, as well as Manhattan Theatre Club, one of New York’s leading theater companies. In 2004 New York City Center launched the acclaimed Fall for Dance Festival, continuing to fulfill its mission to make the arts accessible to the broadest possible audience. In 2006, New York City Center formed partnerships with both London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre to facilitate the exchange of innovative dance works, and with Carnegie Hall to work together on exciting new programming initiatives between the two neighboring institutions. In 2007 New York City Center introduced the Encores! Summer Stars series with the critically-acclaimed production of Gypsy¸ currently enjoying a successful run on Broadway, which was followed by this past summer’s Damn Yankees starring Sean Hayes and Jane Krakowski.

Tickets for On the Town are available at the New York City Center Box Office ( West 55 th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues), through CityTix® at 212-581-1212, or online at www.nycitycenter.org. Tickets for the Orchestra, Grand Tier and Mid-Mezzanine are $95; tickets for the Rear Mezzanine and Front Gallery are $50; tickets for the Rear Gallery are $25.

New York, NY, August 6, 2008 -- New York City Center ’s 2008-09 season begins on September 17 with the fifth annual Fall for Dance Festival, featuring 28 companies from across the country and around the world for a price of only $10 per ticket. The season also includes the second season of acclaimed choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s dance company Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company and resident company Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 50 th Anniversary celebration. Resident companies American Ballet Theatre and the Paul Taylor Dance Company along with visiting companies San Francisco Ballet and Miami City Ballet will present New York seasons. Manhattan Theatre Club will present two world premieres and a New York premiere. Highlights also include the sixteenth season of New York City Center’s Encores! series, opening on November 19 with On the Town, part of the city-wide Bernstein Festival.

The complete schedule of the 2008-09 season is as follows:

FALL FOR DANCE FESTIVAL
September 17 - 27

The fifth annual Fall for Dance Festival, which will run from September 17 – 27, 2008, showcasing 28 national and international companies and choreographers in six unique programs (four programs will be repeated). All tickets will once again be sold for only $10 for all seats, making a night of dance more affordable than a night at the movies. Tickets will go on sale Sunday, September 7 at 11:00 am.

City Center ’s Fall for Dance Festivalhas received national and international recognition for its quality, innovation and success in introducing new and younger audiences to the world of dance. The 2008 Festival will feature a wide range of dance styles and traditions, ranging from hula and tap to Indian Odissi, and Thai Khon, as well as ballet and modern dance companies from across the United States and around the world, many appearing in New York for the first time.

Tickets: $10
Press: Helene Davis, (212) 354-7436

MORPHOSES/THE WHEELDON COMPANY
October 1 - 5
New York City Center will present the second annual season of Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, October 1 – 5, 2008, featuring works by Artistic Director Christopher Wheeldon, including a U.S. premiere co-commissioned by New York City Center and Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London. Also featured will be a U.S. premiere of a new work by Canadian choreographer Emily Molnar as well as works by Lightfoot León and Sir Frederick Ashton.

The company will perform to live music each evening, including performances with full orchestra comprised of members of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Leading dancers from major U.S. and European ballet companies will once again join the company, including Tyler Angle, Leanne Benjamin, Gonzalo Garcia, Craig Hall, Maria Kowroski, Edwaard Liang, Tiler Peck, Teresa Reichlen, Edward Watson, Wendy Whelan and others.

Tickets: $30, $50, $95, $110
Press: Helene Davis, (212) 354-7436

SAN FRANCISCO BALLET
October 10 – 18
Celebrating its 75th Anniversary, San Francisco Ballet, returns to New York City Center for three diverse programs, performed to live orchestral accompaniment. The company will present works by George Balanchine and Helgi Tomasson, plus New York premieres of select works from San Francisco Ballet's highly acclaimed New Works Festival by choreographers Mark Morris, Christopher Wheeldon, Jorma Elo, Val Caniparoli, and Yuri Possokhov.

Tickets: $30, $60, $85, $110
Press: Kyra Jablonsky, (415) 865-6603

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE
October 21 – November 2
This fall American Ballet Theatre celebrates the 100th birthday of one of its founding fathers, choreographer Antony Tudor, by showcasing six of his masterworks as well as seven ballets by his contemporaries and a new generation of choreographers who have carried on Tudor's work.

Tickets: $25, $40, $65, $80, $95, $110
Press: Kelly Ryan, (212) 477-3030 x 3235

CAREER TRANSITION FOR DANCERS ANNUAL GALA
ON BROADWAY – A Glittering Salute to the American Musical
October 27
Honoring Sono Osato, Brian Heidtke and Tommy Tune
Appearances by Mikhail Baryshnikov, Bebe Neuwirth, Noah Racey and Karen Ziemba

Hosted by ANGELA LANSBURY – four-time Tony Award-winning musical actress and legendary star of film and television – this spectacular evening will highlight show-stopping moments from Broadway musicals old and new, including Oklahoma, The Pajama Game, West Side Story, A Chorus Line, 42nd Street, In The Heights, and other surprises. Broadway’s top talents and renowned dance companies will perform with the Jubilee Orchestra, and film clips from some of Broadway’s greatest musicals will be shown.

Tickets: $45, $55, $75, $130 (Show Only)
Press: Kevin P. McAnarny (212) 581-3836

LAR LUBOVITCH DANCE COMPANY
November 5-9, 2008
The Lar Lubovitch Dance Company’s 40th anniversary season will feature several works from the company’s prolific history (1969-2008) spread over two programs, including Lubovitch’s newest work Jangle (2008), which will be given its first full production this fall incorporating costumes by Tony Award-winning costume designer Ann Hould-Ward. The season also includes Lubovitch’s acclaimed Concerto Six Twenty-Two (1986), Whirligogs (1969), North Star (1978), Men's Stories (2000), Little Rhapsodies (2007), and Dvořák Serenade (2007). Members of Julliard’s senior dance class will perform in both Whirligogs and North Star.

Tickets: Starting at $25
Press: Janet Stapleton, (212) 633-0016

ENCORES! ON THE TOWN
Nov. 19 – 23
On the Town, the first Broadway musical written by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, with original choreography by Jerome Robbins, will open the 2008-2009 Encores! season as part of the city-wide Leonard Bernstein 90th Birthday Celebration. On the Town was inspired by Robbins’ 1944 ballet, Fancy Free. Set in wartime 1944, On the Town is the story of three sailors’ adventurous 24-hour leave in New York City.

This production is part of Bernstein: The Best of All Possible Worlds, a partnership with Carnegie Hall and the New York Philharmonic. For more information, visit bernsteinfestival.org.

Tickets: $25, $50, $95
Press: Helene Davis, (212) 354-7436

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER
Dec. 3, 2008 – Jan. 4, 2009
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 50th anniversary season will feature two world premiere pieces: a new work by Mauro Bigonzetti, one of Europe’s most inventive choreographers, and collaboration between AAADT and Sweet Honey in the Rock. Performing live onstage with the Ailey dancers, the Grammy Award-winning female a cappella ensemble will match their soulful harmonies and intricate rhythms to company member Hope Boykin’s powerful choreography. Ailey will also reach into its rich choreographic past with acclaimed works and revivals, including “Ailey and Ellington: A Jazz Celebration with Wynton Marsalis,” major new productions of works from the collaboration between Alvin Ailey and Duke Ellington, featuring six live performances by Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Other revivals will include Alvin Ailey’s masterpieces Blues Suite and Masekela Langage and George Faison’s classic Suite Otis (with music by Otis Redding).

Tickets: Starting at $25
Press: Christopher Zunner, 212-405-9028

MIAMI CITY BALLET
Jan. 21 – 25, 2009
The internationally-acclaimed Miami City Ballet, under the artistic direction of former New York City Ballet superstar Edward Villella, makes its Manhattan debut at New York City Center with two dynamic programs. The first features Balanchine and Tharp classics – the second Balanchine masterworks.

Tickets: $25, $35, $65, $85, $110
Press: Nicolle Ugarriza, 305-929-7000, ext. 1602

ENCORES! MUSIC IN THE AIR
Feb. 5 – 8
Music in the Air, with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, has been lovingly restored by the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, and not been seen in its original form since its premiere Broadway engagement at the Alvin Theatre in 1932. Opening on November 8th of that year, it played for 342 performances in a production directed by the authors, Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II. A revised version had a brief revival at the Ziegfeld Theatre in 1951.

Tickets: $25, $50, $95
Press: Helene Davis, (212) 354-7436

World Music Institute & Flamenco Festival Inc. present
NEW YORK FLAMENCO FESTIVAL
February 19 – 22
The flamenco event of the season featuring dancers and musicians direct from Andalucia, Spain!

Press: Helene Browning, (212) 545-7536

PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY
Feb. 25 – March 15, 2009
Paul Taylor Dance Company returns with two New York premieres including Changes, which revisits the conflict and energy of the 1960s through the songs of the iconic folk/rock group, The Mamas and The Papas. This year also marks the long-anticipated return of Scudorama, a jarring, edgy and powerful piece which has not been performed at City Center in 40 years. Additional works this season include Arden Court, ...Byzantium, Danbury Mix, De Sueños (of dreams), De Sueños que se Repiten (of recurring dreams), Esplanade, Eventide, Funny Papers, Images, Last Look, Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rehearsal), Mercuric Tidings, Offenbach Overtures, Private Domain, Promethean Fire, and The Sorcerer's Sofa.

Tickets: $10, $25, $35, $55, $75, $95, $135
Press: Lisa Labrado, (212) 704-9727

ENCORES! FINIAN’S RAINBOW
Mar. 26 – 29, 2009
Finian’s Rainbow, with music by Burton Lane, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg and book by E. Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, opened at the 46th Street Theatre on January 10, 1949, and played a total of 725 performances. Michael Kidd won the Tony Award for his choreography. (In an interesting note, the show played at New York City Center once before - for a week in May, 1955, presented by the New York City Light Opera.). Songs include “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?,” “When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love,” and “If This Isn’t Love.”

Tickets: $25, $50, $95
Press: Helene Davis, (212) 354-7436

EIFMAN BALLET
May 29 – 31, 2009
Eifman Ballet has revolutionized the concept of classical dance in Russia by taking the art of ballet to its highest – and most modern – level of expressiveness. Widely considered Russia's greatest living choreographer, Boris Eifman brings a new ballet to New York City Center based on Pushkin’s classic romance, “Eugene Onegin,” to music by Tchaikovsky and Sitkovetsky.

Press: Sergei Danilian, (212) 399-0002

MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB
For more than three decades, Manhattan Theatre Club has been the creative and artistic home for America's most gifted theatrical artists, producing works of the highest quality by both established and emerging American and international playwrights. New York and world premieres created under MTC's auspices travel across America and the world. MTC's plays and musicals challenge, inspire, entertain and provoke audiences.

Stage I:
Romantic Poetry
Previews begin October 1, 2008

Ruined
Previews begin January 21, 2009

Stage II:
Back Back Back
Previews begin October 30, 2008

Stage II – Show 2
February

Please visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com for complete season details.
Press: Aaron Meier, Jim Bik, (212) 575-3030

Tickets for all New York City Center events can be purchased by calling CityTix® at 212-581-1212, online at www.nycitycenter.org or at the City Center Box Office (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues). For more information, please visit www.nycitycenter.org

Arlene Shuler, President and CEO of New York City Center, today announced the schedule for the fifth annual Fall for DanceFestival, which will run from September 17 – 27, 2008, showcasing 28 national and international companies and choreographers in six unique programs (four programs will be repeated). Tickets will once again be sold for only $10 for all seats, making a night of dance more affordable than a night at the movies. Tickets will go on sale Sunday, September 7 at 11:00 am.

City Center ’s Fall for Dance Festivalhas received national and international recognition for its quality, innovation and success in introducing new and younger audiences to the world of dance. The 2008 Festival will feature a wide range of dance styles and traditions, ranging from hula and tap to Indian Odissi and Thai Khon, as well as ballet and modern dance companies from across the United States and around the world, many appearing in New York for the first time.

“With this fifth season, the Fall for Dance Festival will have presented 133 different dance companies to more than 100,000 dance enthusiasts, all for the incredibly low price of $10,” said Arlene Shuler . “We are proud to showcase up-and-coming artists along with world-renowned dance companies to a new and growing generation of dance lovers. Newcomers and aficionados alike now look forward to the Festival as both an introduction to new companies and a welcome return to familiar and beloved artists.”

New York City Center gratefully acknowledges the continued leadership support of Time Warner and Time Warner Cable, NYC Region , which has been a lead supporter of the Festival since its inception. "As a media company, we believe that the arts should be accessible to everyone." said Lisa M. Quiroz, Time Warner's Senior Vice President of Corporate Responsibility. "Through our community investment programs we've made a substantial commitment to broadening public access to the arts. Our Fall for Dance partnership with City Center truly helps bring that commitment to life."

New York City Center also recognizes the extraordinary leadership support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation which inaugurated an endowment to ensure the future stability of the annual Fall for Dance Festival. Additional endowment funding has been received from The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, The Rockefeller Brothers Fund and an anonymous donor.

City Center also gratefully acknowledges Michelob Ultra, the Sponsor of Lounge FFD.

ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD
The 2008 Festival celebrates the creativity of young choreographers on the rise, as well as the vitality and diversity of dance throughout the United States and around the globe. Exciting young companies and choreographersinclude Ayodele Casel & Sarah Savelli,Keigwin + Company, The Lombard Twins, Crystal Pite, Hofesh Shechter, Richard Siegal and Kate Weare.

International companies and artists include Richard Siegal/TheBakery of Paris; [bjm_danse] Les Ballets Jazz de Montr é al; BeijingDance / LDTX of China; Compa ñ ia Nacional de Danza, Artistic Director Nacho Duato of Spain; Hofesh Shechter Company of Israel and the UK; LAFA & Artists Dance Company of Taiwan; Louise Lecavalier of Canada; The Lombard Twins of Argentina; Madhavi Mudgal of India; The National Ballet of Canada; Pichet Klunchun Dance Company of Thailand, Talia Paz of Israel and Sharon Wray from the UK.

Acclaimed American companies and choreographers include Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Garth Fagan Dance, The Gentlemen of H ä lau N ä Kamalei, Houston Ballet, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Oregon Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet , Shen Wei Dance Arts and The Suzanne Farrell Ballet.

New York City Center resident companies will be represented by American Ballet Theatre and Paul Taylor Dance Company. Oregon Ballet Theatre will present an excerpt from a ballet by Christopher Wheeldon, the artistic director of City Center’s guest resident company, Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company.

TEN NIGHTS, SIX UNIQUE PROGRAMS
The Festival will open on Wednesday, September 17 (program repeated Thursday, September 18) with New York-based Shen Wei Dance Arts performing excerpts from Map (2005), with music by Steve Reich. Making its New York debut, the Pichet Klunchun Dance Company of Thailand will present the world premiere of Chui Chai, a piece that combines traditional Thai classical dance with contemporary hip-hop sensibility. Keigwin + Company will follow with Fire, an excerpt from artistic director/choreographer Larry Keigwin’s new work, Elements. The National Ballet of Canada’sSoldiers’ Mass, choreographed by Ji ří Kyli á n in 1980 and set to the music of Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů, will end the evening.

Merce Cunningham Dance Company opens the second program of the Festival on Friday, September 19 with Sounddance, first performed in 1975 with Merce Cunningham in the lead. [On an interesting note, Sounddance was first revived at New York City Center in 1994.] It will be followed by the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s acclaimed reconstruction ofAsadata Dafora’s 1932 Awassa Astrige/Ostrich, with music by Carl Riley. American Ballet Theatre, one of City Center’s resident companies, presents a pas de deux from Antony Tudor’s1975classicTheLeaves Are Fading, set to the music of Antonin Dvorak. French-Canadian contemporary dancer Louise Lecavalier performs an excerpt from Lone Epic , a solo piece choreographed for her in 2006 by the young Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite, set to selections from Bernard Herrmann’s score for the film Citizen Kane. The evening ends with Ayodele Casel, Sarah Savelli& Dancersperforming excerpts from their joyous 2007 tap piece, Wonderland, music by Stevie Wonder.

[bjm_danse] Les Ballets Jazz de Montr é al opens the program on Saturday, September 20 (program repeated Sunday, September 21) with an excerpt from Aszure Barton’s Les Chambres des Jacques (2006). This will be followed by Oregon Ballet Theatre presenting the pas de deux from Christopher Wheeldon’s RUSH (2003), set to music by Bohuslav Martinů, and t he world premiere of Odissi: PRAVAHA, a new work by Indian choreographer Madhavi Mudgal, one of India’s leading classical dancers and a world-renowned exponent of the Odissi style of dance. Sheron Wray follows with Jane Dudley’s 1938 landmark work, Harmonica Breakdown, set to blues music by Sonny Terry and Oh Red. An excerpt from young Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter’s 2006 work, Uprising, performed by the Hofesh Shechter Company, will end the evening. Shechter choreographed the piece for seven men and composed the percussive score as well.

The second week of the Festival opens on Tuesday, September 23 (program repeated Wednesday, September 24)withthe New York debut of BeijingDance / LDTX, China’s cutting edge dance company, presentingan excerpt from The Cold Dagger (2006). Houston Ballet presents George Balanchine’s 1960 Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux followed by Paris-based choreographer Richard Siegal and his company Richard Siegal/The Bakery presenting the U.S. premiere of The New 45 (2006), a suite of dances for Ayman Harper and Mario Zambrano, featuring music by Oscar Peterson and Clark Terry. From Taiwan comes LAFA & Artists Dance Company, making its first New York appearance with Single Room (2002), a solo performed by Fang-Yi Sheu, one of its founders and a former principal dancer with The Martha Graham Company. The evening ends with Kahikilani(2005),performed by The Gentlemen of Hal ä u N ä Kamalei , a native hula company from Hawaii, led by master hula teacher Robert Uluwehi Cazimero.

Thursday, September 25 begins with the New York debut of The Suzanne Farrell Ballet performing George Balanchine’s rarely-seen Pithoprakta, with music by Greek composer Iannis Xenakis. Restored in 2007 by Ms. Farrell as part of the company’s Balanchine Preservation Initiative, Pithoprakta was originally choreographed in 1968 for Ms. Farrell. Israel-based choreographer Talia Paz will dance an excerpt from Love, a solo choreographed in 2004 by Sharon Eyal. From Argentina come TheLombard Twins,youngdance wizards and choreographers, performing the world premiere of Lombard Play Piazzolla – The Dance Concert, their interpretation of Astor Piazzolla’s compositions. The piece was inspired by street dance and hip-hop and features live music.The Kate Weare Company, based in NYC and Oakland, follows with the world premiere of The Light Has Not the Arms to Carry Us, choreographed by Ms. Weare. Garth Fagan Dance returns to City Center with Fagan’s classic From Before (1978), which pays homage to African and Caribbean dance and ancestry.

On Friday, September 26, the Jerome Robbins Foundation will present The Jerome Robbins Award for excellence in the dance arts to Twyla Tharp and San Francisco Ballet at a dinner to be held earlier that evening.  In addition, New York City Center will receive the inaugural Floria V. Lasky Award.  Prior to the performance, there will be a brief onstage tribute to Mr. Robbins and the winners.

The final program of the Festival, on Friday, September 26 (repeated Saturday, September 27) pays tribute to the Robbins Award winners and Mr. Robbins .  The evenings will open with Twyla Tharp’s 1996 Sweet Fields, set to nineteenth-century hymns in the Shaker vein, performed by Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, followed by San Francisco Ballet performing Jerome Robbins’ 1970 In the Night. The second half of the program will feature the Compañia Nacional de Danza,Artistic Director Nacho Duato , from Spain,with Duato’s 1989 Cor Perdut , a haunting pas de deux based on a Catalan love song. City Center resident company Paul Taylor Dance Company will bring the Festival to a close with a performance of their classic life-affirming piece from 1975, Esplanade.

Ellen Dennis serves as Producer and Wendy Perron as Artistic Advisor to the New York City CenterFall for Dance Festival.

FESTIVAL LOUNGE
Lounge FFD appears only once each year, during the Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center. For each Fall for Dance performance, the public atrium between 55th and 56th Streets (immediately west of the theater’s main entrance) is transformed into a vibrant gathering place for audience members and artists. Featuring music by a rotating roster of NYC DJs, Lounge FFD offers Festival attendees, performers and neighborhood friends a place to relax and mingle, share a cocktail and have a snack, before and after the show – as well as during intermission – while video monitors throughout the Lounge follow the action onstage.

Lounge FFD is open to the general public as well as to Festival artists and attendees.  No tickets are required and everyone is welcome.

Michelob Ultra is the sponsor of Lounge FFD and the official beer of the Fall for Dance Festival.

NEW YORK CITY CENTER has long been known and beloved by New York audiences not only as one of the City’s preeminent performing arts institutions but also as an accessible and welcoming venue for dance and theater.  New York City Center produces the Tony-honored Encores! musical theater series, and is home to some of the country’s leading dance companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Paul Taylor Dance Company and Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, as well as Manhattan Theatre Club, one of New York’s leading theater companies. Continuing to fulfill its mission to make the arts accessible to the broadest possible audience, in 2004 New York City Center launched the acclaimed Fall for Dance Festival.  In 2006, New York City Center formed a partnership with London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre to facilitate the exchange of innovative dance works. In 2007 New York City Center introduced the Encores! Summer Stars series with the critically-acclaimed production of Gypsy, which was followed by the 2008 hit, Damn Yankees.

NEW YORK CITY CENTER FALL FOR DANCE FESTIVAL runs Wednesday, September 17 through Saturday, September 27, 2008 at New York City Center ( West 55 th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues). All evening performances are at 8pm; Sunday afternoon performance at 3 pm. All tickets for the Fall for Dance Festival are $10 and go on sale on Sunday, September 7 at 11am. Tickets can be purchased by calling CityTix® at 212-581-1212, online at www.nycitycenter.org or at the City Center Box Office, ( West 55 th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues).

TWYLA THARP AND SAN FRANSISCO BALLET TO RECEIVE JEROME ROBBINS AWARD
NEW YORK CITY CENTER TO RECEIVE INAUGURAL FLORIA V. LASKY AWARD
Released July 23, 2008

Veanne Cox, Michael Mulheren and P.J. Benjamin will join Sean Hayes, Jane Krakowski, Cheyenne Jackson, Ana Gasteyer and Randy Graff in Damn Yankees, running
July 5 – 27, 2008 at New York City Center (55th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues). Damn Yankees will be directed by John Rando with Music Direction by Rob Berman and the original Bob Fosse choreography recreated by Mary MacLeod. A July 10 opening is planned.

Damn Yankees has music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and is based on Wallop's novel "The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant." It is the story of Joe Boyd (P. J. Benjamin), the ultimate baseball fan, who sells his soul to the Devil (Sean Hayes) for the chance to help his team win the pennant race against the Yankees. The Devil is aided by the sexy Lola (Jane Krakowski), who seduces a now younger, physically transformed Joe (Cheyenne Jackson), but ultimately helps him outsmart the Devil and return to his beloved wife (Randy Graff).

Damn Yankees opened on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre on May 5, 1955, and ran for 1019 performances, winning four Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Choreography (Bob Fosse), Best Actor (Ray Walton) and Best Actress (Gwen Verdon). Songs include "Heart" and "Whatever Lola Wants.”

The complete cast (as of June 5) is: Sean Hayes, Jane Krakowski, Cheyenne Jackson, Ana Gasteyer, Randy Graff, Michael Mulheren, Veanne Cox, P.J. Benjamin, Robert Creighton, Jimmy Smagula, Kathy Fitzgerald, John Horton, John Selya, with Nathan Balser, David Baum, Jimmy Ray Bennett, Rachel Coloff, Anderson Davis, Marya Grandy, Shannon Lewis, Jay Lusteck, Pamela Otterson, Adam Perry, Karine Plantadit, T. Oliver Reid, Jon Rua, Stacey Sargeant, Alexander Scheitinger, Chandra Lee Schwartz, Baron Vaughn and Cody Ryan. Wise.

Sean Hayes (Mr. Applegate) won an Emmy (and was nominated six times) for his portrayal of “Jack” on “Will & Grace.” He starred as Jerry Lewis in the television movie “The Martin & Lewis Story.” His films include Pieces of April, The Cat in the Hat (as the voice of the Fish), Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss, and Cats and Dogs (as the voice of Mr. Tinkles). He has won two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a TV Guide Award and an American Comedy Award.

Jane Krakowski (Lola) originated the role of “Dinah the Dining Car” in the 1987 Broadway production of Starlight Express. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in Grand Hotel; won the Tony Award for the revival of Nine; played April in Company at the Roundabout Theatre; and appeared alongside Sarah Jessica Parker in the Broadway revival of Once Upon a Mattress. She starred on television in “Álly McBeal” and can currently be seen as Jenna Maroney on “30 Rock.”

Cheyenne Jackson (Joe Hardy) made his Broadway debut understudying both male leads in the Tony Award-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. He later served as the standby for the character of Radames in Aida, then originated the role of Matthew in the off-Broadway production of Altar Boyz. He originated his first Broadway leading role in the musical tribute to Elvis Presley, All Shook Up. His performance as Chad earned him much critical praise and the Theatre World Award, as well as nominations from the Drama League and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor. In 2006, Jackson portrayed Mark Bingham in Universal Pictures' Academy-Award nominated film United 93. He also starred Off-Broadway in Nicky Silver's The Agony and The Agony with Victoria Clark. Jackson, who received a Drama Desk nomination as Best Actor for his starring role as Sonny in Broadway's Xanadu, will return to the production following the run of Damn Yankees.

Ana Gasteyer (Gloria) was a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” from 1998 – 2002. She appeared on Broadway as Elphaba in Wicked, as Mrs. Peachum in The Threepenny Opera and as Columbia in The Rocky Horror Show. Her off Broadway credits include Kimberly Akimbo at Manhattan Theatre Club and Passion (as Fosca) at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. She played Lindsay Lohan’s mother in the feature film Mean Girls, written by SNL castmate Tina Fey. She also appeared in Reefer Madness.

Randy Graff’s (Meg Hardy) many Broadway credits include leading roles in Les Miserables, City of Angels (Tony Award, Best Featured Actress), Laughter on the 23rd Floor, High Society, A Class Act, and Fiddler on the Roof.

John Rando’s broadway credits include The Wedding Singer and Urinetown (Tony Award for Best Director). His other New York credits include The Dinner Party, A Thousand Clowns and Polish Joke. His previous Encores! credits include Face the Music, Strike Up the Band, Do Re Mi, The Pajama Game and Of Thee I Sing.

Rob Berman is Music Director of the New York City Center Encores! series, where he has conducted and provided musical direction for Stairway to Paradise and Applause. He was the conductor of the Broadway revival of The Pajama Game and music director of the Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration’s Sunday in the Park with George (Helen Hayes Award, Best Musical Direction). Berman is music supervisor of Irving Berlin's White Christmas and music director for the Kennedy Center Honors.

Mary MacLeod’s Broadway credits include Fosse, Seussical, Chicago, Company (Kathy), Guys & Dolls, Smokey Joe’s Café (Dance Captain/ASM). She appeared in the very first Encores! production of Fiorello, followed by Can-Can and Juno and was Associate Choreographer for Bye-Bye Birdie. Mary has assisted choreographers Robert Bianca, Chris Chadman, Joey McKneely, Casey Nicolaw, Peter Pucci, and Scott Wise. She teaches theatre dance all over the country.

This production is made possible in part by Stephanie and Fred Shuman Fund for Encores!
Budweiser is a proud sponsor of Damn Yankees.

Encores! Summer Stars, an expanded version of City Center’s acclaimed Encores! series, is dedicated to presenting more fully-realized productions of classic works of the American musical theater, and to giving leading actors the chance to play roles they were born to play. Its first production, the critically acclaimed Gypsy starring Patti LuPone, is currently having a successful run on Broadway.

New York City Center Encores! (Jack Viertel, Artistic Director; Rob Berman, Music Director) has, since 1994, celebrated the rarely-heard works of America’s most important composers and lyricists. Conceived as “concert versions,” each Encores! season gives three scores the chance to be heard as originally intended by their creators. Over the years, Encores! has presented the works of the Gershwins, Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, Bock and Harnick, Burt Bacharach, Kander and Ebb, Comden and Green, and many more. The program is the recipient of a special 2000 Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, as well as an Outer Critics Circle Award, Lucille Lortel Award and Jujamcyn Theaters Award.

The landmark not-for-profit New York City Center was founded in 1943 by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia as Manhattan's first performing arts center, and is now the annual New York City home to Alvin Ailey, American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre's fall season, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company and Manhattan Theatre Club. New York City Center is host to some of America's and the world's most acclaimed performers and productions, and the producer of the Tony-honored Encores! and Encores! Summer Stars series, and the annual Fall for Dance Festival.

Damn Yankees will run July 5 – 27. Please see chart below for July 5 – 11 performance schedule. Beginning July 12, the schedule is as follows: Tuesday and Sunday evenings at 7 pm, Wednesday – Saturday evenings at 8:00pm, and matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2:00pm.Tickets for Damn Yankees are available at the New York City Center Box Office (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues), through CityTix® at 212-581-1212, or online at www.nycitycenter.org. Tickets for the Orchestra, Grand Tier are $110 & 85; Mid-Mezzanine tickets are $50; tickets for the Rear Mezzanine are $25

Click Here for Tickets

On The Town , the first Broadway musical written by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, with original choreography by Jerome Robbins, will open the 2008-2009 Encores! season as part of the city-wide Leonard Bernstein 90 th Birthday Celebration sponsored by Carnegie Hall and the New York Philharmonic from September through December 2008. As part of the Bernstein Festival, the Encores! season will begin in the fall, with On The Town running November 19 – 23, 2008. The season will continue with Music in the Air, a rarely seen 1932 Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II musical, and conclude with Finian’s Rainbow, with music by Burton Lane and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg.

On The Town, with music by Leonard Bernstein and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, based on a concept by Jerome Robbins, was inspired by Robbins’ 1944 ballet, “Fancy Free.” Set in wartime 1944, On The Town is the story of three sailors’ adventurous 24-hour leave in New York City. Their fabulous day-long journey is spurred by a search for sailor Gabey’s dream girl, “Miss Turnstiles.” Along the way, each sailor falls in love with a woman, and with New York City itself.

The original Broadway production of On The Town, starring Nancy Walker, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, opened at the Adelphi Theatre on December 28, 1944, playing a total of 462 performances. It has since been revived at the Imperial Theatre in 1971 and the George Gershwin Theatre in 1998. Songs from On The Town include “ New York, New York,” “Some Other Time,” and “I Can Cook Too.”

Music in the Air , with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, has been lovingly restored by the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, and not been seen in its original form since its premiere Broadway engagement at the Alvin Theatre in 1932. Opening on November 8 th of that year, it played for 342 performances in a production directed by the authors, Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II. A revised version had a brief revival at the Ziegfeld Theatre in 1951. Music in the Air will run February 5 – 8, 2009.

Set in Bavaria and Munich, Music in the Air was the transitional piece in Oscar Hammerstein II’s career between his early operettas and his modern musicals written with Richard Rodgers. Although it retains an operetta-like setting, it is a musically and emotionally sophisticated romance, combining wit, elegance and melancholy in a manner reminiscent of the films of Ernst Lubitsch. It tells of an aging rural music teacher, his naively charming daughter and their misadventures trying to break into the cynical, world-weary theatre scene in the big city. Songs include “I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star” and “The Song Is You”.

Finian’s Rainbow , with music by Burton Lane, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg and book by E. Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, opened at the 46th Street Theatre on January 10, 1947, directed by Bretaigne Windust, and played a total of 725 performances. Michael Kidd won the Tony Award for his choreography. (In an interesting note, the show played at New York City Center once before - for a week in May, 1955, presented by the New York City Light Opera.) Finian’s Rainbow will run March 26 - 29 2009.

Finian’s Rainbow is the story of the Irishman Finian McLonergan, and his daughter Sharon who arrive in the small Southern town of Rainbow Valley in the mythical state of Missitucky, with plans to bury a stolen pot of gold in the shadows of Fort Knox, in the mistaken belief it will grow and multiply. They have been followed from Ireland by the owner of the gold, a leprechaun, who shows up determined to recover his treasure. The musical is unusual in that it deals in a satirical way with issues of class and race, most specifically in the character of a bigoted southern senator who is accidentally turned black. Songs include “ How Are Things in Glocca Morra?,” “When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love,” and “If This Isn’t Love.”

Rob Berman will music direct and conduct all three productions of the upcoming season. He was appointed Music Director of Encores! before the 2008 season and conducted this season’s production of Applause and last season’s Stairway to Paradise. He worked as founding music director Rob Fisher’s associate on several Encores! productions, and took over the podium from Maestro Fisher during the Broadway transfers of Wonderful Town and The Apple Tree, both of which originated at Encores! He conducted the Tony Award winning revival of The Pajama Game and was also music director and conductor of the Kennedy Center’s production of Sunday in the Park with George for which he won a Helen Hayes Award for best musical direction. He is music supervisor for Irving Berlin’s White Christmas as well as The Gershwins’ An American in Paris and is music director of the Kennedy Center Honors orchestra.

Newman's Own is a proud sponsor of Encores!. Paul Newman and the Newman’s Own Foundation donate all profits and royalties after taxes for educational and charitable purposes.  Paul Newman and the Newman’s Own Foundation have given over $200 million to thousands of charities worldwide since l982.  For years, Paul Newman filled old wine bottles with his homemade salad dressing for Christmas gifts.  One day, he reckoned that what was good enough for his pals was good enough for the public, and Newman's Own all-natural line of food products was born.   It has grown to include pasta sauce, microwave popcorn, salsa, lemonade and steak sauce.  For more information about Newman’s Own, please visit www.newmansown.com.

The 2008-2009 season is made possible in part by:  Stephanie and Fred Shuman Fund for Encores!

Major support for the New York City CenterEncores! 2008-2009 season is provided by the Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Charitable Trust and Roz and Jerry Meyer.

New York City Center Encores! (Jack Viertel, Artistic Director; Rob Berman, Music Director) has, since 1994, celebrated the rarely-heard works of America’s most important composers and lyricists. Conceived as “concert versions,” each Encores! season gives three scores the chance to be heard as originally intended by their creators. Over the years, Encores! has presented the works of the Gershwins, Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, Bock and Harnick, Burt Bacharach, Kander and Ebb, Comden and Green, and many more. The program is the recipient of a special 2000 Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, as well as an Outer Critics Circle Award, Lucille Lortel Award and Jujamcyn Theaters Award.

New York City Center (Arlene Shuler, President and CEO) has long been known and beloved by New York audiences not only as one of the City’s preeminent performing art institutions but also as an accessible and welcoming venue for dance and theater.  New York City Center produces the Tony-honored Encores!musical theater series, and is home to some of the country’s leading dance companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Paul Taylor Dance Company and Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, as well as Manhattan Theatre Club, one of New York’s leading theater companies. Continuing to fulfill its mission to make the arts accessible to the broadest possible audience, in 2004 New York City Center launched the acclaimed Fall for Dance Festival.  In 2006, New York City Center formed partnerships with both London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre to facilitate the exchange of innovative dance works, and with Carnegie Hall to work together on exciting new programming initiatives between the two neighboring institutions. In 2007 New York City Center introduced the Encores! Summer Stars series with the critically-acclaimed production of Gypsy¸ currently having enjoying a successful run on Broadway, and will continue this summer with Damn Yankees starring Sean Hayes and Jane Krakowski.

Tickets for the 2008-2009 Encores! season are available at the New York City Center Box Office ( West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues), through CityTix® at 212-581-1212, or online at www.nycitycenter.org. Tickets for the Orchestra, Grand Tier and Mid-Mezzanine tickets are $95; tickets for the Rear Mezzanine and Front Gallery are $50; tickets for the Rear Gallery are $25.

DAMN YANKEES, starring Sean Hayes and Jane Krakowski, will be the second of New York City Center’s Encores! Summer Stars series, running July 5 – 27, 2008 at New York City Center, W. 55 th Street between 6 th & 7 th Avenues. Damn Yankees will be directed by John Rando with Music Direction by Rob Berman. A July 10 opening is planned.

Damn Yankees has a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and is based on Wallop's novel "The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant."

It is the story of Joe Boyd, the ultimate baseball fan, who sells his soul to the Devil (Sean Hayes) for the chance to help his team, the Washington Senators, win the pennant race against the Yankees. The Devil is aided by the sexy Lola (Jane Krakowski), who seduces Joe, but ultimately helps him outsmart the Devil and return to his beloved wife. Songs include "Heart" and "Whatever Lola Wants.”

The original Broadway production of Damn Yankees opened at the 46th Street Theatre on May 5, 1955, playing 1,019 performances. Directed by George Abbott with musical numbers staged by Bob Fosse, the original cast included Gwen Verdon and Ray Walston.

Sean Hayes won an Emmy (and was nominated six times) for his portrayal of “Jack” on “Will & Grace.” He starred as Jerry Lewis in the television movie “The Martin & Lewis Story.” His films include The Bucket List, Pieces of April, The Cat in the Hat (as the voice of the Fish), Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss, and Cats and Dogs (as the voice of Mr. Tinkles). He has won two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a TV Guide Award and an American Comedy Award.

Jane Krakowski originated the role of “ Dinah the Dining Car” in the 1987 Broadway production of Starlight Express. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in Grand Hotel; won the Tony Award for the revival of Nine; played April in Company at the Roundabout Theatre; and appeared alongside Sarah Jessica Parker in the Broadway revival of Once Upon a Mattress. She starred on television in “Ally McBeal” and can currently be seen as Jenna Maroney on “30 Rock.”

John Rando’s Broadway credits include The Wedding Singer and Urinetown (Tony Award for Best Director). His other New York credits include The Dinner Party, A Thousand Clowns and Polish Joke. His previous Encores! credits include Face the Music, Strike Up the Band, Do Re Mi,The Pajama Game and Of Thee I Sing.

Rob Berman is Music Director of the New York City Center Encores! series, where he has conducted and provided musical direction for Stairway to Paradise and Applause. He was the conductor of the Broadway revival of The Pajama Game and music director of the Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration’s Sunday in the Park with George (Helen Hayes Award, Best Musical Direction). Berman is music supervisor of Irving Berlin's White Christmas and music director for the Kennedy Center Honors.

Encores! Summer Stars, an expanded version of City Center’s acclaimed Encores! series, is dedicated to presenting more-fully realized classic works of the American musical theater, and to giving leading actors the chance to play roles they were born to play.

New York City Center Encores! (Jack Viertel, Artistic Director; Rob Berman, Music Director) has, since 1994, celebrated the rarely-heard works of America’s most important composers and lyricists. Conceived as “concert versions,” each Encores! season gives three scores the chance to be heard as originally intended by their creators. Over the years, Encores! has presented the works of the Gershwins, Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, Bock and Harnick, Burt Bacharach, Kander and Ebb, Comden and Green, and many more. The program is the recipient of a special 2000 Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, as well as an Outer Critics Circle Award, Lucille Lortel Award and Jujamcyn Theaters Award.

The landmark not-for-profit New York City Center was founded in 1943 by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia as Manhattan 's first performing arts center, and is now the annual New York City home to Alvin Ailey, American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre 's fall season, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company and Manhattan Theatre Club. New York City Center is host to some of America 's and the world 's most acclaimed performers and productions, and the producer of the Tony-honored Encores! and Encores! Summer Stars series, and the annual Fall for Dance Festival.

Tickets for Damn Yankees are available to members beginning April 11, to Encores! Subscribers on April 14 and to the general public beginning April 18 at the New York City Center Box Office (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues), through CityTix® at 212-581-1212, or online HERE. Tickets for the Orchestra, Grand Tier are $110 & 85; Mid-Mezzanine tickets are $50; tickets for the Rear Mezzanine and Gallery are $2