Kristin Chenoweth Will Star in The Apple Tree at Studio 54, Beginning 11/28

The fall season on Broadway just got a new musical entry: Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth will star as Eve, Princess Barbara and Ella in The Apple Tree, beginning November 28 at Studio 54. The Roundabout Theatre Company's production of the three-part musical will be directed by Gary Griffin The Color Purple. No other cast members were announced; Griffin's May 2005 Encores! presentation of the show starred Chenoweth, Michael Cerveris and Malcolm Gets.

The Apple Tree features music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and a book by Bock and Harnick, the team that created Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me and The Rothschilds. Described as an evening of three one-act musicals about men, women and temptation, the show is based on “The Diary of Adam and Eve,” by Mark Twain; “The Lady or the Tiger?” by Frank R. Stockton; and “Passionella” by Jules Feiffer, with additional book material by Jerome Coopersmith. The Apple Tree originally premiered on Broadway on October 18, 1966, at the Shubert Theatre starring Alan Alda and Barbara Harris, directed by Mike Nichols.

Chenoweth returns to the Broadway stage for the first time since her Tony-nominated performance as Glinda in Wicked and her Tony-winning performance as Sally in You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. She was last seen at the Roundabout in the company's 1997 production of Moliere's Scapin. After leaving Wicked, she played Annabeth Schott on TV's The West Wing and co-starred with Robin Williams in the feature film RV. Other film roles include Bewitched, The Pink Panther and the upcoming Running With Scissors, Stranger Than Fiction and Deck the Halls. Chenoweth has appeared often as a concert artist, including a production of Candide with the New York Philharmonic.

The Apple Tree will feature choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and musical supervision by Rob Fisher. Opening night at Studio 54 is set for December 14.