Lempicka is a musical with music by Matt Gould, lyrics by Carson Kreitzer and a book by Gould and Kreitzer from an original concept by Kreitzer. Based on the life of Tamara de Lempicka, the musical made its world premiere try-out at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The musical follows the life of de Lempicka as she flees the Russian Revolution in Paris, France. [1] [2] Lempicka and her beloved husband Tadeusz must make a new life in Paris with their daughter Kizette. Facing the rise of fascism, Tamara takes to painting to survive, and when she meets the free-spirited Rafaela, a prostitute on the fringes of Parisian society, she's torn between the life she cherishes with her husband and the passion, ambition, and possibility awoken in her by her new muse. Inspired by the life of the artist who transformed herself from penniless refugee to star of the art world when the world itself teetered on chaos, Lempicka looks at the beauty and danger of one painter pursuing it all.[3]
| Lempicka | |
|---|---|
| Music | Matt Gould |
| Lyrics | Carson Kreitzer |
| Book | Matt Gould Carson Kreitzer |
| Setting | Paris, France |
| Basis | The life of Tamara de Lempicka |
| Premiere | July 20, 2018 (2018-07-20): Williamstown Theatre Festival |
| Productions | 2018 Williamstown 2022 San Diego 2022/23 Broadway |
A stage musical made its premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival on July 20, 2018. The production ran through August 1, 2018. The musical has music by Matt Gould, lyrics by Carson Kreitzer and a book by Gould and Kreitzer from an original concept by Kreitzer. The show is choreographed by Raja Feather Kelly and directed by Rachel Chavkin. The production will make its West Coast premiere on June 14, 2022 at La Jolla Playhouse. It is currently slated to premiere on Broadway during the 2022-23 Broadway season.[4]
The musical was originally commissioned by Yale Rep and New Dramatists. Between 2011 and 2017, the musical underwent a series of labs and workshops.
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| Character | Reading (2011) |
Reading (2012) |
Yale Rep Workshop (2012) |
Yale Rep Reading (2014) |
Second Stage Reading (2015) |
Reading (2016) |
Williamstown Reading (2017) |
Williamstown (2018) |
Lab (2018) |
La Jolla Playhouse Reading (2019) |
La Jolla Playhouse (2022) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rafaela | Gabrielle Stravelli | Carmen Cusack | Amber Iman | ||||||||
| Tamara de Lempicka | Shoshana Bean | Julia Murney | Lisa Brescia | Shoshana Bean | Eden Espinosa | Cynthia Erivo | Eden Espinosa | ||||
| Tadeusz Lempicki | Wayne Wilcox | James Barbour | Zak Resnick | Steven Pasquale | Andrew Samonsky | Nicholas Belton | Andrew Samonsky | ||||
| Kizette de Lempicka | Izzy Hanson-Johnston | Catherine Macleod Daigle | Alexandra Templer | Kendyl Ito | Jordan Tyson | ||||||
| Marinetti | Greg Hildreth | Steven Rattazzi | Steven Rattazzi | Steven Rattazzi | David Pittu | Steven Rattazzi | Jon Jon Briones | George Abud | |||
| The Baron | Jon-Michael Reese | Ato Blankson-Wood | Charl Brown | Adam Hyndman | Robert Cuccioli | Nathaniel Stampley | T. Oliver Reid | Nathaniel Stampley | Victor E. Chan | ||
| The Baroness | Rhyn McLemore | Rhyn McLemore | Jessica Phillips | Rachel Tucker | Darlesia Cearcy | Barbara Walsh | Jacquelyn Ritz | ||||
| Suzy Solidor | Nicolette Robinson | Aisha Jackson | Melody Butiu | Natalie Joy Johnson | |||||||