After Midnight opened on Broadway to critical appraise in November 2013 and was nominated for seven Tony Awards, winning Best Choreography. Closing in June 2014, it was also the recipient of the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Astaire Awards.
Conceived by Jack Viertel, the 90-minute musical will be re-created on board the Escape by its original director/choreographer, Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle, and will feature the look and feel of its original design team, including Isabel Toledo’s costumes and John Lee Beatty’s set.
After Midnight, according to press notes, "takes the sexy, smoky glamour of the original Jazz Age and catapults it into a whole new era of heart-pounding, mind-blowing entertainment for modern Broadway audiences. Refracted through a contemporary lens, After Midnight celebrates Duke Ellington's years at the Cotton Club using his original arrangements and performed by a world-class big band of 17 musicians hand-picked by living jazz legend, Wynton Marsalis. The timeless tunes set against a narrative of Langston Hughes poetry provide an authentic backdrop for an array of cutting-edge performances by 25 sensational vocalists and dancers, including special guest stars, whose interpretations shatter everything you think you know about music, nightlife and Broadway."
The Broadway production saw a host of celebrity guest stars including Vanessa Williams, Barrino, four-time Grammy Award winner k.d. lang and Grammy Award winners Toni Braxton and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds.
Casting for the Norwegian Cruise production and further schedule information to come.