After initial workshops at Lincoln Center in January 1999, Susan Stroman and John Weidman will premiere their Contact at Lincoln Center's Mitzi Newhouse Theatre, beginning previews Sept. 9 for an Oct. 7 opening.

Stroman, while preparing Madison Square Garden's A Christmas Carol in November 1998, first told Playbill On-Line that she would be directing and choreographing the musical-dance piece with the neo-swing pop outfit, The Squirrel Nut Zippers and librettist John Weidman (Assassins, Wiseguys).

Cabaret's current Cliff, Boyd Gaines, will star in the production, playing a man on the brink of committing suicide when he meets a dancer in a swing club. The play's title comes from the man's ability to finally make "contact" with others through dance.

Along with music from The Zippers, the show will feature a compilation of classic composers including music by: Berlioz, Greig, and Tchaikovsky.

Stroman burst onto the scene several years ago when she choreographed the Kander and Ebb revue And the World Goes Round . She went on to choreograph Crazy for You (Tony Award) and Show Boat.