Encores! sets 2024-25 season of musical revivals

As in past years, the annual series of limited-run productions at New York City Center will feature four musicals that do not play in New York often.

UPDATE: Wonderful Town has replaced the previously announced production of The Wild Party in the Encores! 2024-25 season due to scheduling conflicts. This article has been updated accordingly.

New York City Center has announced its 2024-25 season of Encores!, a program that annually presents limited-run productions of rarely revived musicals from decades past.

The season will kick off with a gala presentation of Ragtime, which is not technically a part of Encores! but is a similarly limited revival. The show by Terrence McNally (book), Stephen Flaherty (music), and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) is set in early-1900s New York, tracing a rapid period of societal change by way of three main stories: that of an upper-class white mother, a Jewish immigrant, and a Black musician, plus their respective families.

Joshua Henry stars as Coalhouse Walker Jr. alongside Caissie Levy as Mother and Tony Award winner Brandon Uranowitz as Tateh. Additional cast members include Colin Donnell as Father, Ben Levi Ross as Younger Brother, Shaina Taub as Emma Goldman, Nichelle Lewis as Sarah, John Clay III as Booker T. Washington, Rodd Cyrus as Harry Houdini, Matthew Lamb as The Little Boy, Tabitha Lawing as The Little Girl, Stephanie Styles as Evelyn Nesbit, Tom Nelis as Grandfather, John Rapson as J.P. Morgan, Jacob Keith Watson as Willie Conklin, Jeff Kready as Henry Ford, Olivia Hernandez as Kathleen, and Tiffany Mann as Sarah’s Friend.

The ensemble includes Nicholas Barrón, Briana Carlson-Goodman, Billy Cohen, Aerina DeBoer, Ta’Nika Gibson, Marina Kondo, Morgan Marcell, Ramone Nelson, Kent Overshown, Destinee Rea, Deandre Sevon, Kathy Voytko, Alan Wiggins, and Henry Witcher.

Ragtime premiered on Broadway in 1998, and its only New York revivals since have been concert versions staged at Ellis Island, Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center, and at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre for one night only.

The New York City Center production will run from October 30 to November 10, directed by Lear deBessonet and music directed by James Moore.

The official Encores! season will begin in 2025 with Urinetown by Mark Hollmann (music and lyrics) and Greg Kotis (book and lyrics). The musical's only Broadway production was in 2001, and it appeared off Broadway in 2001 and 2015. The show satirizes government, politics, business, and musicals themselves with the story of a town whose residents have to pay to use the bathroom.

The cast includes Jordan Fisher as Bobby Strong, Taran Killam as Officer Lockstock, Keala Settle as Penelope Pennywise, Stephanie Styles as Hope Cladwell, Jenni Barber as Little Becky Two Shoes/Mrs. Millenium, Josh Breckenridge as Senator Fipp, Yeman Brown as Billy Boy Bill, Kevin Cahoon as Old Man Strong/Hot Blades Harry, Pearl Scarlett Gold as Little Sally, Greg Hildreth as Officer Barrel, Jeff Hiller as Mr. McQueen, Tiffany Mann as Soupy Sue, Daniel Quadrino as Robby the Stockfish, Graham Rowat as an ensemble member and Officer Lockstock on February 14, Myra Lucretia Taylor as Josephine Strong, Rainn Wilson as Caldwell B. Cladwell, and John Yi as Tiny Tom.

Performances will run from February 5-16. Teddy Bergman directs, and Mary‐Mitchell Campbell is the music director. The show also features choreography by Mayte Natalio, scenic design by Clint Ramos, costume design by Sophia Choi, lighting design by Justin Townsend, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, and projection design by Peter Nigrini.

Next up, from March 26-30, is Love Life, which was originally scheduled to go up in March 2020. As was planned back then, two-time Tony Award-winning actress Victoria Clark (Kimberly Akimbo, The Light in the Piazza) will direct the show from March 26-30. Rob Berman is the musical director.

Written by Alan Jay Lerner (book and lyrics) and Kurt Weill (music), Love Life follows a married couple who live from 1791 to 1948, never aging. As time goes on, they have to adapt to changing social norms, which repeatedly tests their marriage.

Tony nominee Kate Baldwin stars as Susan Cooper opposite Nicholas Christopher as Sam Cooper. The cast also includes John Edwards as Hobo, Sara Jean Ford as Miss Ideal Man, and Clarke Thorell as Mr. Cynic plus ensemble members Adam Bashian, Jonathan Christopher, Kerry Conte, Daniel Everidge, Maria Failla, Mary Illes, Andrea Jones-Sojola, Cory Lingner, John-Michael Lyles, Renni Anthony Magee, Tiffany Mann, Kristin Piro, Arianna Rosario, Heath Saunders, Daniel Schwait, Allyson Tucker, Vishal Vaidya, and Minami Yusui.

The final show in the Encores! 2024-25 season is Wonderful Town, replacing the previously announced production of Michael John LaChiusa's The Wild Party, which has been moved to 2026. Wonderful Town follows sisters Ruth and Eileen as they move from Ohio to New York to chase their dreams of writing and acting, meet new people, and find love.

The show features music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The Encores! revival is directed by Zhailon Levingston, with Mary-Mitchell Campbell as music director.

Additional cast and creative team members for all the Encores! productions have yet to be announced. This article will be continually updated with new information.

Learn more about Encores! and New York City Center in our guide.

Last updated: December 4, 2024

Photo credit: Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy, and Brandon Uranowitz.