Michael Cerveris Tapped to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree at Encores!

Broadway.com has learned that Michael Cerveris has been tapped to appear opposite previously announced star Kristin Chenoweth in the Encores! concert mounting of The Apple Tree.

Cerveris won a 2004 Tony Award for his portrayal of John Wilkes Booth in Assassins. He previously earned a Tony nomination and a Theatre World Award for his portrayal of the title character, a deaf, dumb and blind pinball wizard, in The Who's Tommy. He also appeared on Broadway in Titanic. His off-Broadway credits include Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Total Eclipse, Abingdon Square, Life is a Dream, Macbeth, The Games, Fifth of July and Wintertime. Among his notable regional theater credits is Passion which he has appeared in numerous times, including a recent Lincoln Center mounting, Sunday in the Park with George, Measure for Measure and A Little Night Music.

The Apple Tree is a unique evening of three one-act musicals about men, women and a little thing called temptation. The first one-act based on Mark Twain's The Diary Of Adam and Eve is a quirky, touching spin on the tale of the world's first couple. The second, The Lady Or The Tiger?," explores the fickleness of love in a fable set in a mythical barbarian kingdom. Finally, "Passionella" is based on Jules Feiffer's offbeat Cinderella-story about a chimney sweep whose dreams of being a "glamorous movie star" nearly sabotage her one chance for true love. The tuner features music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and a book by Jerry Bock,Sheldon Harnick and Jerome Coopersmith.

The Encores! staging of The Apple Tree is scheduled to run May 12 through May 16.