Billy Porter to lead 'La Cage aux Folles' at New York City Center; full season announced

The storied venue presents four concert productions of rarely revived musicals per year, including a fall gala presentation and three shows in its Encores! series.

The Off-Broadway venue New York City Center has set its 2025-26 season of musical theatre programming, featuring four limited-run stagings of classic shows seldom seen in NYC.

NYCC's annual gala presentation, running from October 29 to November 9, is of Bat Boy: The Musical, starring Tony Award nominee Taylor Trensch in the title role and directed by two-time Tony Award winner Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Just in Time, Beetlejuice). The cult-favorite show follows a half-human, half-bat teenager who is found in a cave and seeks to be accepted in his small town. The show, which premiered off Broadway in 2001, features a score by Laurence O’Keefe, original orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, and a book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming.

Additional cast members include original Off-Broadway cast member Kerry Butler as Meredith Parker, Tony nominee Andrew Durand as Rick Taylor, Mary Faber as Lorraine, Alan H Green as Bud, Evan Harrington as Ned, John-Michael Lyles as Ron Taylor, Tony winner Alex Newell as The God Pan, Olivia Puckett as Ruthie Taylor, Tony nominee Christopher Sieber as Dr. Parker, Rema Webb as Maggie, and Tony winner Marissa Jaret Winokur as Mrs. Taylor.

The next three productions in NYCC's season are part of its annual Encores! series of rarely revived musicals. First up, from February 4-15, 2026, is High Spirits, directed by Tony Award winner Jessica Stone with Encores! music director Mary-Mitchell Campbell. This musical adaptation of Noël Coward’s play Blithe Spirit follows the eccentric Madame Arcati, who causes trouble for a man named Charles when she summons the ghost of his ex-wife, Elvira, to his current wife Ruth's chagrin.

The score is by Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray, and the Tony-nominated musical first ran on Broadway in 1964.

Next up is The Wild Party, originally announced for 2025 and now playing from March 18-29, 2026. Michael John LaChiusa (score) and George C. Wolfe's (book) adaptation of Joseph Moncure March’s poem about a gin-soaked 1920s bash that spins out of control. Lili-Anne Brown directs.

The final musical of the Encores! season is La Cage Aux Folles, starring Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award winner Billy Porter leading an all-Black cast as Albin. Directed by Robert O’Hara with guest music director Joseph Joubert, the show follows a gay couple who run a drag club and must hide their true identity when their son's conservative, prospective father-in-law comes to visit.

La Cage Aux Folles is based on the same-named play by Jean Poiret. The musical features a book by Harvey Fierstein and a score by Jerry Herman that includes the famous song "I Am What I Am."

All of NYCC's musical theatre productions are concert stagings, meaning that they are presented with minimal sets and costumes, instead putting the orchestra front and center with the often-starry casts.

Additional cast and creative team members for all productions have yet to be named. This article will be updated with the latest announcements.

Photo credit: Billy Porter. (Photo courtesy of production)

Last updated: July 30, 2025