Santino Fontana, Skylar Astin, and More Celebrate God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater

New York City Center celebrated its Encores! Off‐Center production of Kurt Vonnegut’s God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater following its closing-night performance on July 30.

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.

With direction by Michael Mayer, the cast also included 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 (The Great Comet), 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).