New York City Center, which is currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, is posting daily highlights from former Encores! productions.
The fourth week of the series spotlights love songs. Encores! Artistic Director Jack Viertel says, "Let’s face it: most Broadway musicals are about romance, which means love songs—lots of love songs. Why? Because that’s what life is so often about, and those feelings are easier to sing than to say. And, frankly, it’s easier to let someone else sing them. You might even say that’s why musicals were born. This week, we feature songs of love, some of them shared between lovers, some of them shared with one solitary character who just can’t live without telling the audience all about what’s inside. And as audience members, we are eternally grateful for the wisdom, vulnerability, and passion that these lovers speak on our behalf. You might even say we couldn’t do it without them."
The week kicks off with Tony nominee Vanessa Williams and Stanley Wayne Mathis singing "Come Rain or Come Shine" from the 1998 City Center Encores! production of the Harold Arlen musical St. Louis Woman.
Watch the performance below:
: @VWOfficial and Stanley Wayne Mathis “Come Rain or Come Shine”
— New York City Center (@NYCityCenter) April 13, 2020
Encores! St. Louis Woman 1998 #EncoresArchives pic.twitter.com/m1hfciKtPc
The famed Manhattan venue launched the series March 22, Stephen Sondheim's 90th birthday, with a week of videos from Sondheim musicals. You can watch a playlist of all of the performances on City Center's YouTube page.
