Casting Announced for Encores! House of Flowers

Tonya Pinkins, Armelia McQueen, and Maurice Hines are among the cast members who have been announced for , the first production of the City Center Encores! series’s 2003 season.

Pinkins (The Wild Party), McQueen (Ain’t Misbehavin’), and Hines (the 50th Anniversary tour of Guys and Dolls) will be joined by Roscoe Lee Brown, Nikki James, Brandon Victor Dixon, Brenda Braxton, Stacy Francis, Alexandra Foucard, Peter Francis James, Desmond Richardson, Wayne Pretlow, and Everett Bradley. Additional casting will be announced shortly.

The 1954 musical has a book by Truman Capote, music by Harold Arlen, and lyrics by Capote and Arlen. It tells the story of a rivalry between two bordellos, one operated by Madame Fleur (Pinkins, in the role originated by Pearl Bailey), the other by Madame Tango (McQueen). James will play Ottilie, alias Violet (originated by Diahann Carroll), with Dixon as her innocent sweetheart, Royal.

This production will be directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall. It will have musical direction by David Chase, scenic consultation by John Lee Beatty, lights by Peter Kaczorowski, costume coordination by Toni Leslie-James, and sound design by Bruce Cameron.

House of Flowers will be given five performances beginning on Thursday, February 13. Tickets range from $85 to $25 and may be purchased at the City Center box office (55th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues), by phoning CityTix at 212-581-1212, or through the website www.citycenter.org .