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Encores! 2022

The Tap Dance Kid

Theater

Mainstage

Feb 2 – 6, 2022

Tickets start at $35

Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission

Overview

Overview

“A fascinating rediscovery.”
—TheaterMania

“... the renewed look-see at The Tap Dance Kid comes across like a house on fire.”
—New York Stage Review

“The musical that every tap dancer dreams of getting a hold of.”
—choreographer Jared Grimes, in The New York Times

Recommended for audiences ages 10+

Nominated for seven Tony Awards (including Best Musical), The Tap Dance Kid tells the story of Willie, a 10-year-old boy from an upper-middle-class Black family, who dreams of becoming a professional tap dancer, despite his father’s disapproval.

The production includes Tracee Beazer as Carole, Alexander Bello as Willie, DeWitt Fleming Jr. as Daddy Bates, Joshua Henry as William, Trevor Jackson as Uncle Dipsey, Shahadi Wright Joseph as Emma, Chance Smith as Winslow, and Adrienne Walker as Ginnie.

Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun) leads this revival, bringing a fresh take to the production with new tap sequences by choreographer Jared Grimes (After Midnight) to hits such as “Fabulous Feet” and a concert adaptation by Lydia Diamond (Stick Fly). The production features music direction by Broadway’s Joseph Joubert (Motown the Musical).

The Tap Dance Kid is part of the 2022 Encores! season, our beloved, Tony-honored series of revivals celebrating American musical theater—now in its 28th year. Check out the rest of the season: The Life (Mar 16 – 20, 2022) and Into the Woods (May 4 – 15, 2022).

Vaccinations, Boosters & Masks Required

To ensure the health and safety of everyone, at this time City Center will operate a fully vaccinated venue. Artists, crew, staff, and audience members (adults and children) must provide proof of full Covid-19 vaccination and proof of receiving a Covid-19 booster, for all those eligible.

Approved masks must be worn by all audience members, staff, and crew.

To help you buy with confidence, please review our latest health, safety, and ticket policies.

 

Programming subject to change.

Tickets

Tickets

Photos & Videos

Photos & Videos

Adrienne Walker, DeWitt Fleming Jr. & Trevor Jackson Alexander Bello & Trevor Jackson Alexander Bello DeWitt Fleming Jr. & Alexander Bello Joshua Henry Shahadi Wright Joseph & Alexander Bello Tracee Beazer & Trevor Jackson Trevor Jackson & Alexander Bello

Point of View

Point of View

Dance magazine logo
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“I want the tap dancing to make us feel like there’s no tomorrow.”
—Jared Grimes, in Dance magazine

Read more

Alexander Bello & Kenny Leon during rehearsals for The Tap Dance Kid
“

“We’re trying to show how something as precious as the history of tap is affecting this family who’s fighting to find a place in the ’50s.”
—Jared Grimes, in The New York Times

Read more

Artists

Artists

Tracee Beazer is beyond thrilled to be making her Encores! debut! She was last seen playing Bulda in Broadway's Frozen. Other Broadway credits include: Something Rotten!, Honeymoon In Vegas, Holler If Ya Hear Me, Memphis, The Wedding Singer, Good Vibrations, and Hairspray. Off-Broadway: Radiant Baby, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Pirates of Penzance. Film/TV: Bedlam: The Series, The Baker and the Beauty, God Friended Me, Rise, House of Cards, Law & Order SVU, Spinning Into Butter, and Camp.

Tracee Beazer

Tracee Beazer (Carole)

Alexander Bello Broadway: Caroline, or Change, The Rose Tattoo, All My Sons. Television: And Just Like That (HBO), John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch (Netflix). Bello is thrilled to be making his Encores! debut and thanks Kenny Leon and Jared Grimes for this opportunity, John Mara Jr., and DeWitt Fleming Jr. for helping him get here, his family and friends for their extremely loud and overly enthusiastic support, and his grandmother, Mamie, for her tap-dancing genes! IG: @thealexanderbello

Alexander Bello

Alexander Bello (Willie)

DeWitt Fleming Jr. Regional: Signature Theater’s After Midnight, Miami New Drama’s A Wonderful World (Stepin’ Fetchit), National Black Theater Festival’s Jelly’s Last Jam (Jelly), Signature Theater’s Scottsboro Boys (Ozie/Ruby), Alliance Theater’s Sophisticated Ladies (Lead), Alpine Theater Project’s Jesus Christ Superstar (Simon). National Tours: Riverdance (Lead Tapper, Baritone Soloist), Cirque Du Soliel’s Banana Shpeel (Ensemble, featured tapper). Off-Broadway: Midsummer: A Shakespearience (Oberon), Cotton Club Parade (Lead/Nicholas Brother), Orphan Train (conductor), Pearl (Bill Bailey), Dutchman (Clay), Richard III (Grey). TV/Film: Boardwalk Empire, Smash, Limitless, How to be Single. Fleming is the proud owner of DeW It Right Tap Mics.

DeWitt Fleming Jr.

DeWitt Fleming Jr. (Daddy Bates)

Joshua Henry recently starred in The Wrong Man at MCC Theatre. Prior to his critically acclaimed performance in The Wrong Man, Henry starred on Broadway as the iconic Billy Bigelow in the revival of Carousel for which he received a Tony and Grammy nomination. Before headlining in Carousel, Henry starred as Aaron Burr in the cultural phenomenon, Hamilton, in Chicago and Los Angeles. He has also starred on Broadway in the Tony-nominated musical Shuffle Along. Henry was Tony-nominated for his star turn as Flick in the musical Violet. He was previously nominated for a Tony Award for his leading role in Susan Stroman’s The Scottsboro Boys. He recently closed the revival of Sara Bareilles’ Waitress as Dr. Pomatter. Film: Tick, Tick...Boom.

Joshua Henry

Joshua Henry (William)

Trevor Jackson currently stars on the hit TV show Grown-Ish. He recently starred as the lead of the Sony feature Superfly. Jackson garnered critical acclaim for the Netflix original feature film Burning Sands, which premiered at Sundance 2017. Previously, Jackson was in the 2016 season Emmy nominated series American Crime opposite Regina King. Trevor started acting, singing, and dancing professionally at the age of five when he started touring with Broadway’s The Lion King playing Young Simba.
Trevor Jackson

Trevor Jackson (Uncle Dipsey)

Shahadi Wright Joseph made her Broadway debut at age nine playing Young Nala in The Lion King before joining the original Broadway cast of School of Rock. Her TV credits include NBC's Hairspray LIVE! and Amazon's Them which premiered in 2021. Her 2019 big screen debut in Jordan Peele's horror blockbuster Us earned a Hollywood Critics Award, after which she reclaimed her role as Young Nala in the live action version of The Lion King.
Shahadi Wright Joseph

Shahadi Wright Joseph (Emma)

Chance Smith is a native of Brooklyn, NY and is a student at the Professional Performing Arts School in NYC. Recent credits include the CBS series Bull (Young Leo) and the PBS animated series Alma’s Way (Howard). Other credits include the Hallmark feature film Holiday in Harlem and The Lion King Broadway National Tour (Young Simba). Smith sings and plays electric guitar.

Chance Smith

Chance Smith (Winslow)

Adrienne Walker is a proud graduate of Spelman College, made her Broadway debut as Nala in Disney’s The Lion King and has now returned to the role. She starred as Hattie in the Broadway revival of Kiss Me Kate alongside Kelli O’Hara and Corbin Bleu. Regional credits: Porgy and Bess, Rent, Hair, Dreamgirls, Agamemnon, Iphigenia in Aulis, and The Color Purple. Walker is the founder of 32 Bar Cut—a platform for actors.
Adrienne Walker

Adrienne Walker (Ginnie)

Cast & Credits

Cast & Credits

Music by Henry Krieger
Lyrics by Robert Lorick
Book by Charles Blackwell
Based on the novel Nobody’s Family is Going to Change by Louise Fitzhugh
Concert Adaptation by Lydia Diamond
Scenic Designer Derek McLane
Costume Designer Dede Ayite
Lighting Designer Allen Lee Hughes
Sound Designer Kai Harada
Casting by The Telsey Office
Choreography by Jared Grimes
Featuring The Encores! Orchestra
Guest Music Director Joseph Joubert
Directed by Kenny Leon

Featuring Tracee Beazer, Alexander Bello, DeWitt Fleming Jr., Joshua Henry, Trevor Jackson, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Chance Smith, and Adrienne Walker

With Crystal A. Burton, Kurt Csolak, Aniya Danée, Zachary Downer, Francine Espiritu, Izaiah Montaque Harris, Madison Hilligoss, Ben Lanham, John Manzari, Jodeci Millhouse, Dario Natarelli, Janelle Neal, Justin Prescott, and Bethany Tesarck 

Phillip Attmore (Understudy for Dipsey and Daddy Bates), Wesley J. Barnes (Understudy for Willie and Winslow), Taylor Caldwell (Understudy for Emma), Derrick Davis (Understudy for William), Alex Hairston (Understudy for Carole and Ginnie)

Sarah Grous (swing), Tanner Pflueger (swing), Diana Vaden (swing)

Encores! Artistic Leadership
Lear deBessonet | Artistic Director
Rob Berman | Music Director
Clint Ramos | Producing Creative Director
Josh Clayton | Supervisor of Music Administration & Score Restoration
Adrian Alea | Creative Associate

Creative Advisors
Camille A. Brown, Eisa Davis, and Robert O'Hara

Producer of Musical Theater
Jenny Gersten

Show Your Encores! Love

Show Your Encores! Love

For nearly 30 years we’ve watched our Encores! series bring a community together through a shared love of song and dance. Now there has never been a more important time to return this flagship program, like a beacon of hope, back to our New York community. Please consider making a gift today to support this beloved series.

Sponsors

Sponsors

Leadership Support for Encores!
Stacey and Eric Mindich Fund for Musical Theater

Major Support for Encores! is provided by

Encores! Season Sponsors
Roz and Jerry Meyer
The Shubert Foundation
Stephanie and Fred Shuman Fund for Encores!
Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Charitable Trust

Additional support for Encores! is provided by
The Kaplen Brothers Fund
The Frederick Loewe Foundation
Daryl and Steven Roth
The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc.
The SHS Foundation
The Ted Snowdon Foundation
NYSCA logo

Overview

Production videography by Bardo Arts/Alex Pearlman
Production photos by Joan Marcus
Art by Ben Wiseman

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