City Center Confirms Cerveris and Gets Apple Tree Casting

New York City Center Encores! Artistic Director Jack Viertel and Music Director Rob Fisher have announced that Tony® Award nominee Malcolm Gets and Tony Award-winner Michael Cerveris will join the previously announced Tony Award-winner Kristin Chenoweth in The Apple Tree, the final Encores! presentation of the 2004-5 Season. The engagement, which runs May 12-16, 2005, also marks Mr. Fisher's final production as Encores! Music Director - a position he has held for Encores! entire 12-year history. The production is directed by Gary Griffin.

The Apple Tree features music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me, Fiorello!); and a book by Bock, Harnick and Jerome Coopersmith.

Malcolm Gets starred in the Broadway premiere of Amour and the Lincoln Center Theater production of A New Brain, as well as a recent Off-Broadway revival of Finian's Rainbow. Gets also appeared in the long-running television series "Caroline in the City."

Michael Cerveris most recently appeared as Giorgio in the Lincoln Center production of Stephen Sondheim's Passion, appearing opposite Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald. Cerveris was a 2004 Tony winner for his performance as John Wilkes Booth in the Roundabout Theatre production of Assassins. Other credits include Wintertime, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Titanic and The Who's Tommy.

The Apple Tree is a unique and innovative evening of three one-act musicals about men, women and a little thing called temptation, from one of Broadway's most beloved songwriting teams. Act I is based on Mark Twain's "The Diary of Adam and Eve", Act II on Frank R. Stockton's "The Lady or the Tiger?", and Act III on Jules Feiffer's "Passionella". Notable songs include "What Makes Me Love Him?", "Go To Sleep Whatever You Are", and "Oh, To Be A Movie Star". Each star will play multiple roles in the evening. Ms. Chenoweth will play Eve, Princess Barbára and Ella/Passionella in the final act. Mr. Gets will play Adam, Captain Sanjar and Flip, the Prince Charming, while Mr. Cerveris will cover the roles of the Snake, Balladeer and Narrator.

Under the direction of Mike Nichols in his first musical outing, The Apple Tree opened at the Shubert Theatre on October 18, 1966 where it played for 463 performances. The original Broadway cast featured Alan Alda and Barbara Harris. The show was nominated for seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, with a win for Harris as Best Actress in a Musical.

Since 1994, NEW YORK CITY CENTER ENCORES! has celebrated the rarely heard works of America's most important composers and lyricists. Conceived as "concert versions," each ENCORES! season gives three scores the chance to be heard as originally intended by their creators. Over the years, ENCORES! has presented the works of the Gershwins, Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, Bock and Harnick, Burt Bacharach, Kander and Ebb, Comden and Green, and many more. The program is the recipient of a special 2000 Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, as well as the recipient of a New York Drama Critics Circle Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Lucille Lortel Award and Jujamcyn Theaters Award.

Lead sponsorship of the NEW YORK CITY CENTER ENCORES! 2004-2005 season is provided by Newman's Own. Newman's Own is a premium food company headquartered in Westport, CT. Paul Newman donates all after-tax profits from the sale of Newman's Own products to educational and charitable causes. Since 1982, he has donated more than $125 million to over 2,000 charities. American Express is a Major Sponsor of New York City Center.

THE APPLE TREE Performance Schedule:Thursday, May 12, 8:00 p.m.Friday, May 13, 8:00 p.m.Saturday, May 14, 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.Sunday, May 15, 6:30 p.m.New York City Center's Annual Gala, on Monday, May 16 at 7:00 p.m., will honor Broadway producers Barry and Fran Weissler and will feature a special performance of The Apple Tree.For Gala information and ticket prices, please call the Special Events office at 212-763-1205.Tickets for the 2005 ENCORES! season are available at the New York City Center Box Office (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues), through CityTix® at 212-581-1212, or online at www.nycitycenter.org. Tickets for the Orchestra, Grand Tier and Mid-Mezzanine are $90, tickets for the Rear Mezzanine and Front Gallery are $50, tickets for the Rear Gallery are $25.