James Earl Jones, Rebecca Naomi Jones, and More Join God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
(© David Gordon)
New York City Center has announced casting for the Encores! Off‐Center production of Kurt Vonnegut’s God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. Broadway's Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) directs the production, which is set to run July 27-30.
As previously announced, the Off‐Center production will star Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect) and Santino Fontana (Cinderella). Newly announced cast members include Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award winner James Earl Jones (The Gin Game) as well as Derrick Baskin (Memphis), Jeff Blumenkrantz (Bright Star), Nick Choksi (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812), Eddie Cooper (Encores! Little Shop of Horrors), Kevin Del Aguila (Rocky), Clark Johnson, Rebecca Naomi Jones (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Eddie Korbich (A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder), Marla Louissaint, Liz McCartney (Annie), Bonnie Milligan (Kinky Boots), Brynn O’Malley (Honeymoon in Vegas), and Kate Wetherhead (Legally Blonde).
The first musical written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (Little Shop of Horrors), this 1979 musical tells the story of Eliot Rosewater (Santino Fontana), a millionaire who drunkenly decides to blow his fortune on the inhabitants of an impoverished town after being inspired by the utopian vision of novelist Kilgore Trout (James Earl Jones). But there are forces who want to put the kibosh on Eliot’s philanthropy, like Norman Mushari (Skylar Astin), a lawyer plotting to have Eliot declared insane.
The Encores! Off‐Center production will feature orchestrations by Danny Troob, choreography by Lorin Latarro, and music direction by Chris Fenwick.
