Encores!
Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert is a program that has been presented by New York City Center since 1994. Encores! is dedicated to performing the full score of musicals that rarely are heard in New York City. Scores by Stephen Sondheim, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, George and Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, Kander and Ebb, Jule Styne, and Comden and Green have been heard at Encores! productions.
The Encores! series was awarded the Jujamcyn Theater Award in 1997, the Association for Independent Music Indie Award in 1998, Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre in 2000, several Lucille Lortel Awards, and an Outer Critics Circle Award. 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, Tenderloin, and Face the Music have been released. Accredited scholars can view videotapes 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
- 1995: Call Me Madam; Out of This World; Pal Joey
- 1996: DuBarry Was a Lady; One Touch of Venus; Chicago
- 1997: Sweet Adeline; Promises, Promises; The Boys from Syracuse
- 1998: Strike up the Band; Li'l Abner; St. Louis Woman
- 1999: Babes in Arms; Ziegfeld Follies of 1936; Do Re Mi
- 2000: On a Clear Day You Can See Forever; Tenderloin; Wonderful Town
- 2001: A Connecticut Yankee; Bloomer Girl; Hair
- 2002: Carnival; Golden Boy; The Pajama Game
- 2003: House of Flowers; The New Moon; No Strings
- 2004: Can-Can; Pardon My English; Bye, Bye, Birdie
- 2005: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; Purlie; The Apple Tree
- 2006: Kismet; 70, Girls, 70; Of Thee I Sing
- 2007: Follies; Face the Music; Stairway to Paradise; Gypsy
- 2008: No, No, Nanette; Juno; Applause; Damn Yankees
- 2009: On the Town; Music in the Air; Finian's Rainbow; The Wiz
- 2010: Girl Crazy; Fanny; Anyone Can Whistle
- 2011: Bells Are Ringing; Lost in the Stars; Where's Charley?
- 2012: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; Merrily We Roll Along; Pipe Dream
- 2013: Fiorello!; It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman; On Your Toes
- 2014: Little Me, The Most Happy Fella, Irma La Douce
Spin-off series
In 2007, the Encores! board created a new "spin-off" series entitled Summer Stars. This new series would run during the summer months, and would produce classic, well-known Broadway shows, with well-known players, full sets and costumes, backed by a huge orchestra.
The first of the series was Gypsy, and was produced in July 2007. Patti LuPone starred as Rose, fresh from her acclaimed performance in Lonny Price's concert production of Gypsy at the Ravinia Festival, Chicago in 2006. The show received an unprecedented Encores! response, and eventually transferred to Broadway at the St. James Theatre where the majority of the original company reprised their roles. LuPone, Gaines and Benanti all won Tony Awards for their performances.
In 2008, Damn Yankees was performed starring Sean Hayes, Jane Krakowski, Cheyenne Jackson, and Randy Graff.
In 2009, The Wiz was performed starring Ashanti, Orlando Jones, Dawnn Lewis, Joshua Henry, Tichina Arnold, and Lachanze.