Cabin in the Sky, 1776 & Do I Hear a Waltz? Set for Encores! 2016 Season

The 2016 season of New York City Center’s Encores! series will kick off with Cabin in the Sky on February 10, followed by Sherman Edwards’ 1776. Do I Hear a Waltz?, the only collaboration of Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim, is also slated during the season.

Cabin in the Sky will run February 10, 2016 through February 14. The show tells the fable-like story of a battle between The Lord’s General and the Devil’s only son over the soul of a charming ne’er-do-well named “Little Joe” Jackson who, after a knife fight in a saloon, is given six months more on earth to prove his worth. With Cabin in the Sky, composer Vernon Duke, lyricist John La Touche, and librettist Lynn Root set out to celebrate African American achievement in music and dance, and created an integrated score that blends hits like “Taking a Chance on Love” with authentic traditional gospel numbers and full-fledged modern dance pieces. The show opened on October 25, 1940 at the Martin Beck Theatre in a production staged and choreographed by George Balanchine and ran 156 performances.

1776 is scheduled for an engagement March 30, 2016 through April 3. The musical is set in the halls of Congress, as the founding fathers battle out the question of independence and draft the declaration that will sever their ties to England and give birth to a new nation. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and their cohorts argue and grandstand through speeches and songs such as “Sit Down, John,” “Cool, Cool, Considerate Men,” and “He Plays the Violin.” 1776 features music and lyrics by Edwards and a book by Peter Stone. The original production opened on March 16, 1969 at the 46th Street Theatre and played for 1217 performances, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical.

Do I Hear a Waltz? is based on Arthur Laurents’ play The Time of the Cuckoo and is the romantic tale of a middle-class American woman who uses her meager savings for a long-dreamed-of trip to Venice, where she finds love, life, and her truest self. The tuner features music by Rodgers, lyrics by Sondheim, and a book by Laurents. It opened on March 18, 1965 at the 46th Street Theatre and ran 220 performances. Do I Hear a Waltz? has not been seen in New York since its original Broadway run and will play May 11, 2016 through May 15.

Jack Viertel is the artistic director of Encores!; Rob Berman is its music director.