Videos: Inside Encores! WONDERFUL TOWN Rehearsal With Anika Noni Rose & Aisha Jackson
The production runs from April 30 through May 11.
By: Michael Major Apr. 22, 2025
Get a first look inside rehearsals for Wonderful Town at Encores! City Center. The videos feature a first look at Aisha Jackson and Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose as sisters Eileen and Ruth in the musical. Rose performs "Conga" with the musical's cast, while Jackson delivers her rendition of "A Little Bit In Love." A first look at Ayodele Casel' tap choreography was also presented
The production also features Jimmy Ray Bennett as Officer Lonigan, Etai Benson as Frank Lippencott, Allison Blackwell as Mrs. Wade, DeWitt Fleming Jr. as Speedy Valenti, Jessie Hooker-Bailey as Helen, Javier Muñoz as Robert Baker, Fergie Phillippe as Wreck, John Rapson as Chick Clark, and Daniel Torres as Mr. Appopolous.
Wonderful Town will also include Jonathan Duvelson, David Foley Jr., Lindsay Roberts Greene, Marc Heitzman, Sarah Michele Lindsey, Kate Louissaint, Alicia Lundgren, Morgan Marcell, Robin Masella, Dario Natarelli, Michael Olaribigbe, Patricia Phillips, Renée Reid, Samantha Siegel, Phumzile Sojola, Nicholas Ward, Jacob Keith Watson, Annaliese Wilbur, and Richard Riaz Yoder.
The 28-piece Encores! Orchestra will play iconic songs like “Ohio” and "Swing" under the music direction of Mary-Mitchell Campbell, watch them rehearse here. The production runs from April 30 through May 11.
In 1935, sisters Ruth, an aspiring writer, and Eileen, an aspiring actress, move from Ohio to Greenwich Village to pursue their artistic ambitions, overcome heartbreak, encounter an assortment of colorful characters, and ultimately find love.
Featuring memorable tunes like “Ohio” and “One Hundred Easy Ways to Lose a Man,” Wonderful Town is a celebration of what makes New York the greatest city in the world—welcoming people from all over who come to fulfill their dreams. The show shares a unique history with New York City Center with previous productions in 1958, 1963, 1966, and the 2000 Encores! Production, which transferred to Broadway in 2003.
Directed by Zhailon Levingston (Cats: “The Jellicle Ball) with Encores! Music Director Mary-Mitchell Campbell leading The Encores! Orchestra, the Tony Award-winning Best Musical features music by the great Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by legendary musical-comedy duo Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Encores! Wonderful Town features choreography by Lorin Latarro and tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, scenic design by Teresa L. Williams, costume design by Linda Cho, lighting design by Ben Stanton, and sound design by Megumi Katayama.
