On The Town: Encores! production at NY City Center

On the Town, the first Broadway musical with music by Leonard Bernstein and written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, will open the 2008-2009 Encores! season at New York City Center, running 19 - 23 Nov 2008. It is part of the city-wide Leonard Bernstein 90th Birthday Celebration.

The musical will be directed by John Rando, with music direction by Todd Ellison. Warren Carlyle will choreograph the production and recreate Jerome Robbins� 1944 choreography of �New York, New York,� �You Got Me,� and �Times Square Ballet.�

On the Town, with music by Leonard Bernstein and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, based on an idea by Jerome Robbins, was inspired by Robbins� 1944 ballet, 'Fancy Free.'

Set in wartime 1944, On the Town chronicles the adventures of three sailors on a 24-hour shore leave in New York City. Their fabulous day-long journey is spurred by a search for sailor Gabey�s dream girl, 'Miss Turnstiles.' Along the way, each sailor falls in love with a woman, and with New York City itself.

Casting is still to be announced.

The original Broadway production of On the Town, directed by George Abbott and starring Nancy Walker, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, opened at the Adelphi Theatre on 28 Dec 1944, playing a total of 462 performances. It has since been revived at the Imperial Theatre in 1971 and the Gershwin Theatre in 1998. Songs from On the Town include �New York, New York,� �Some Other Time,� and �I Can Cook Too.�

John Rando�s won the 2002 Tony Award for Best Director for 'Urinetown' (2001). His other Broadway credits include 'Dance of the Vampires' (2002), 'A Thousand Clowns' (2001) 'The Dinner Party' (2000) and 'Broken Glass' (1994). He was director of this past summers�Encores! Summer Stars production of 'Damn Yankees.' His previous Encores! credits include, 'Face the Music,' 'Strike Up the Band,' 'Do Re Mi,' 'The Pajama Game' and 'Of Thee I Sing.'

Warren Carlyle choreographed the Encores! productions of 'Juno' and 'Stairway to Paradise,' and is the director-choreographer of the current Broadway production of A Tale of Two Cities.