Encores! announces casting for Cabin in the Sky

The New York City Center 2016 Encores! season, which specialises in classic musicals reinvented for modern audiences, has now announced casting for its opening production of Cabin in the Sky, which plays from 10 to 14 February 2016.

The principal cast of Cabin in the Sky includes Norm Lewis, LaChanze, Chuck Cooper, J. Bernard Calloway, Marva Hicks, Carly Hughes, Forrest McClendon and J.D. Webster.

The ensemble will feature Denisha Ballew, Darius Barnes, Chloe Davis, Timothy L. Edwards, Doug Eskew, Carmen Ruby Floyd, André Garner, Nkrumah Gatling, Rebecca L. Hargrove, Bahiyah Hibah, Andrea Jones-Sojola, Jared Joseph, Kristolyn Lloyd, Tiffany Mann, Sydney Morton, Mayte Natalio, Wayne Pretlow, Malaiyka Reid, Devin L. Roberts, Willie Smith III, Jay Staten, Dennis Stowe, Nicholas Ward, and Hollie E. Wright.

Cabin in the Sky features music by Vernon Duke, lyrics by John La Touche, and a book by Lynn Root, and is directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson and choreographed by Camille A. Brown.

Synopsis: "Cabin in the Sky tells the story of "Little Joe" Jackson, a charming ne'er-do-well who dies in a saloon brawl and is given six months on earth to prove his worth to the Lord's General (Norm Lewis) and his long-suffering wife Petunia (LaChanze), while resisting the temptations of the Devil's Head Man (Chuck Cooper)."

The musical originally opened on 25 October 1940 at the Martin Beck Theatre in a production staged and choreographed by George Balanchine and ran for 156 performances.

Based at the New York City Center under the artistic directorship of Jack Viertel, the Encores! 2016 season is made possible by Stacey and Eric Mindich, Nathalie and Pablo Salame, The Shubert Foundation, and the Stephanie and Fred Shuman Fund. The season also features musical direction by Rob Berman.

- by Tom Millward