Kristin joins cast of MUSIC IN THE AIR at City Center Encores! Feb 5 - 8, 2009
Kristin Chenoweth
joins cast of
Kern and Hammerstein’s
MUSIC IN THE AIR
with
Douglas Sills, Dick Latessa, Tom Alan Robbins, Sierra Boggess & Sally Ann Howes
February 5 – 8, 2009
January 12, 2009 – Tony Award-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth has joined the cast of Kern and Hammerstein’s Music in the Air, the second Encores! production of New York City Center’s 2008-09 season, running February 5-8. (Ms. Chenoweth replaces the previously announced Marin Mazzie. Ms. Mazzie is no longer available due to the death of her father.) 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. The production runs for five performances at City Center, West 55th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues).
In addition to Ms. Chenoweth, the cast includes Douglas Sills, Dick Latessa, Tom Alan Robbins, Sierra Boggess, Walter Charles, Anne L. Nathan, David Schramm, Ryan Silverman, Robert Sella and Sally Ann Howes.
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 has not been seen in New York 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. 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 (Silverman), 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. Kristin Chenoweth and Douglas Sills play a Diva (Chenoweth) 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.”
Kristin Chenoweth received a Tony nomination for her work as Glinda in Stephen Schwartz's Wicked and a Tony Award for her performance as Sally in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Her other Broadway credits include Steel Pier and Epic Proportions, and Candide with The New York Philharmonic. She has starred in the New York City Center Encores! productions of Strike Up the Band, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Stairway to Paradise and The Apple Tree (continuing with the show in its Broadway run.). Her upcoming television credits include “Legally Mad” and the new animated series “Sit Down Shut Up.” She has also been seen in “Ugly Betty,” “Kristin,” "The West Wing," "The Music Man" and “Pushing Daisies,” for which she garnered an Emmy Award nomination. She has been seen on film in Four Christmases, The Pink Panther, Stranger Than Fiction, Deck the Halls and Running with Scissors. Her solo recordings include "Let Yourself Go," "As I Am" and the newly released "A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas."
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 under Hal Prince’s direction, 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 Apple Tree. Charles' screen credits include A Fine Mess, Fletch Lives, Weeds, and Prancer.He appeared in the Encores! production of Call Me Madam.
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 as “Get Smart,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Ironside,” “Spenser: For Hire,” “The Sopranos,” “Ed,” and “Law & Order.”
Anne L. Nathan has appeared on Broadway in Sunday in the Park with George, Assassins, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Ragtime and Chicago.
Tom Alan Robbins’ Broadway credits include Pumbaa in The Lion King, Sunset Boulevard, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, The Threepenny Opera and Once Upon 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.
Douglas Sills made his Broadway debut as Percy in 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 and Mack and Mabel; the national tours of The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Secret Garden and Into the Woods; and the Los Angeles premiere of Chess. 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," and he appeared in the Encores! production of Carnival.
Ryan Silverman’s credits include the lead in the word premiere of the new musical Carmen at the La Jolla Playhouse and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular. His New York credits include Pirates of Penzance and Most Happy Fella at NY City Opera. His many national and international tour credits include Wicked, Mamma Mia, West Side Story and Thoroughly Modern Millie.
David Schramm’s many Broadway credits include London Assurance, Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, Bedroom Farce and The Robber Bridegroom. He is best known to television viewers for his role as Roy Biggins in the series “Wings.”
Robert Sella recently played composer Salieri in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production of Amadeus. His Broadway creditsinclude Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, My Fair Lady, Cabaret and Side Man. Stella played Prior in the national tour of Angels in America and starred with Maggie Smith in the West End production of Edward Albee's The Lady From Dubuque.
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 Purple and 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. Broadway credits include Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, 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. Berman 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 major support from 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 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, which was followed by this past summer’s Damn Yankees starring Sean Hayes and Jane Krakowski.
MUSIC IN THE AIR PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Thursday, February 5 at 8:00 pm
Friday, February 6 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, February 7 at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm
Sunday, February 8 at 6:30 pm
Tickets for Music in the Air 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 are $95; tickets for the Rear Mezzanine and Front Gallery are $50; tickets for the Rear Gallery are $25.
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NEW YORK CITY CENTER
2008-09 ENCORES! SEASON Continues
MUSIC IN THE AIR (February 5 – 8, 2009)
Opened at the Alvin Theatre on November 8, 1932, directed by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II and ran for 342 performances. It had a brief revival at the Ziegfeld Theatre in 1951.
Music Jerome Kern
Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett
Directed by Gary Griffin
Music Direction by Rob Berman
Choreography by Michael Lichtefeld
Dr. Walther Lessing Tom Alan Robbins
Sieglinde Lessing Sierra Boggess
Bruno Mahler Douglas Sills
Frieda Hatzfeld Kristin Chenoweth
Herr Direktor Kirschner Dick Latessa
Marthe Anne L. Nathan
Cornelius Walter Charles
Frau Direktor Kirschner (Lilli) Sally Ann Howes
Karl Reder Ryan Silverman
Ernst Weber David Schramm
Uppman Robert Sella
