Warren Carlyle, John Rando and More to Direct Encores! Musicals for 2013 Season

Warren Carlyle (Chaplin), John Rando (A Christmas Story) and Gary Griffin (The Color Purple) will each direct one of the previously announced musicals of Encores! 20th anniversary season. Carlyle will direct and choreograph Rodgers and Hart's On Your Toes, Rando will direct It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman and Griffin will direct the season opener Fiorello!. All shows will run at New York City Center.

Featuring a book by Jerome Weidman and George Abbott, music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, Fiorello! tells the story of Mayor Fiorello LaGuarda’s rise from an immigrant’s son to feisty congressmen whose guts and determination to fight corruption brought down the crooked Tammany Hall political machine. The Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical opened on Broadway November 23, 1959 and ran for 795 performances. The Encores! presentation will run from January 30 to February 3. Alex Sanchez will choreograph, with Rob Berman serving as musical director.

It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman, based on the comic strip Superman, has a book by David Newman and Robert Benton, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams. The original Hal Prince production premiered on Broadway on March 29, 1966 and ran for 129 performances. The superhero show will run March 20 to 24. The production will be choreographed by Joshua Bergasse and musically directed by Berman.

With a book by George Abbott, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, music by Rodgers and lyrics by Hart, On Your Toes is an improbable mix of gangsters, vaudeville and classical ballet. The show opened on Broadway on April 11, 1936 and played 315 performances. On Your Toes will run May 8 through 12, with Rob Fisher serving as musical director for the production.