Cerveris won a Tony Award for his performance as John Wilkes Booth in Assassins. His other credits include Wintertime, Titanic and The Who's Tommy. Gets has headlined the New York premieres of the musicals Amour and A New Brain, as well as a recent Off Broadway revival of Finian's Rainbow. Both actors appeared in an Oct. 20, 2004, concert staging of Passion.
The musical, which featured a Tony-winning performance by Barbara Harris, opened at the Shubert Theatre in October 1966, playing 463 performances before closing Nov. 25, 1967. It also starred Larry Blyden and Alan Alda. Mike Nichols directed—his last musical unlike the recent Spamalot. The musical was nominated for seven Tony Awards including Best Musical. Jerome Coopersmith provided additional material. The original orchestrations were by Eddie Sauter—a favorite of Encores! musical director Rob Fisher.
The show is divided into three one-acts, all twisty comic-melodramatic tales of star-crossed romantic relationships. The first is based on a Mark Twain telling of the Adam and Eve story. The second, based on a work by Frank R. Stockton, is called "The Lady or the Tiger?" and the third is the Jules Feiffer inspired "Passionella."
Songs include "Here in Eden," "Eve," "The Apple Tree (Forbidden Fruit)," "It's a Fish," "Go to Sleep Whatever You Are," "What Makes Me Love Him," "I'll Tell You A Truth," "Make Way," "I've Got What You Want," "Tiger, Tiger," "Oh, to Be a Movie Star," "Gorgeous,""(Who, Who, Who, Who) Who Is She?," "Wealth," and "You Are Not Real."
Chenoweth last appeared at Encores! in another Barbara Harris musical, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. *
The Apple Tree will be the Encores! swan song for Rob Fisher. A theatreland fixture as longtime musical director of the popular musicals in concert series at City Center, he recently announced he would step down at the end of the current season.
Fisher has held his place at the podium since 1994, through three artistic directors—Walter Bobbie, Kathleen Marshall and now Jack Viertel. He also served as musical director and conductor on Chicago and Wonderful Town—the two Encores! shows which transferred to Broadway.
He is leaving in order to expand his guest duties with the New York Pops, Philadelphia Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony, according to Variety. He will participate in the selection of his replacement.
