Lempicka (musical)

*Lempicka*
Lempicka
	Paris, France
Basis	The life of Tamara de Lempicka
Premiere	July 20, 2018: Williamstown Theatre Festival
Productions	2018 Williamstown ; 2022 San Diego ; 2024 Broadway

Lempicka is a stage musical based on the life of Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980). The musical features music by Matt Gould, lyrics by Carson Kreitzer, with a book by Gould and Kreitzer from an original concept by Kreitzer.

The show opened on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre on April 14, 2024.

Synopsis

The musical follows the life of de Lempicka as she flees the

Paris, France with her husband, Tadeusz, and daughter, Kizette.^[1]^[2] 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.^[3]

Production history

Williamstown (2018)

The musical was originally commissioned by

Yale Repertory Theatre and New Dramatists. Between 2011 and 2017, the musical underwent a series of labs and workshops. The musical premiered at the Williamstown Theatre Festival on July 20, 2018, running through August 1, 2018. The show is choreographed by Raja Feather Kelly and directed by Rachel Chavkin.^[4]

San Diego (2022)

The production made its West Coast premiere on June 14, 2022 at La Jolla Playhouse, running until July 24.^[5]

Broadway (2024)

The musical began previews on Broadway on March 19, 2024 at the Longacre Theatre and opened on April 14, 2024. The production team includes most of the team from La Jolla including Chavkin as director and Raja Feather Kelly as choreographer. Costumes are by Paloma Young and scene design by Riccardo Hernandez.^[6]

Musical numbers

Act I

"Unseen" - Tamara
"Our Time" - Company
"Starting Over" - Tamara, Tadeusz
"Paris" - Tamara, Tadeusz, Company
"Plan and Design" - Marinetti, Tamara
"Don't Bet Your Heart" - Rafaela, Suzy, Company
"I Will Paint Her" - Tamara
"Perfection" - Marinetti, Company
"Wake Up" - Tadeusz
"Mama Look At Me" - Kizette, Tamara
"The Most Beautiful Bracelet" - Rafaela
"Woman Is" - Tamara

Act II

"Pari Will Always Be Pari" - Marinetti, Company
"The New Woman" - Tamara, Tadueusz
"Women" - Suzy, Company
"Stay" - Rafaela
"What She Sees" - Rafaela, Taduesz
"Here It Comes" - Tamara, Company
"Speed" - Tamara, Rafaela, Tadeusz, Marinetti, Company
"Just This Way" - Baroness, Tamara
"In The Blasted California Sun" - Tamara
"Finale" - Company

Characters and original casts

Character	Williamstown	San Diego	Broadway^[7]
Character	2018	2022	2024
Tamara de Lempicka	Eden Espinosa
Tadeusz Lempicki	Andrew Samonsky
Rafaela	Carmen Cusack	Amber Iman
Marinetti	Steven Rattazzi	George Abud
Kizette	Alexandra Templer	Jordan Tyson	Zoe Glick
Raoul Kuffner de Diószegh (The Baron)	Nathaniel Stampley	Victor E. Chan	Nathaniel Stampley
Cara Carolina Kuffner de Diószegh (The Baroness)	Rachel Tucker	Jacquelyn Ritz	Beth Leavel
Suzy Solidor	Natalie Joy Johnson

2024 Broadway production

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2024	Drama League Awards	Outstanding Production of a Musical		Pending
		Distinguished Performance	Eden Espinosa	Pending
		Distinguished Performance	Amber Iman	Pending

External links

Official website
Lempicka at the Internet Broadway Database

References

^ Levitt, Hayley (14 July 2018). "Eden Espinosa and Carmen Cusack Belt About Art and Love in Lempicka". Theatermania. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
^ Vine,Hannah (25 July 2018). "First Look at Carmen Cusack and Eden Espinosa in Lempicka at Williamstown Theatre Festival". Playbill. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
^ "LEMPICKA - A New Musical | Official Website".
^ Reiter, E. H. "Review: LEMPICKA at La Jolla Playhouse Is a Bold and Compelling Musical Portrait". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
^ Putnam, Leah (4 May 2022). "Eden Espinosa, Amber Iman, More to Lead Long-Awaited La Jolla Run of Rachel Chavkin-Helmed Lempicka". Playbill. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
^ Paulson, Michael (2023-10-30). "'Lempicka,' New Musical About Art Deco Artist, to Open on Broadway". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
^ SpotCo. "Cast". LEMPICKA | Official Broadway Website. Retrieved 2024-03-19.

[1] Levitt, Hayley (14 July 2018). "Eden Espinosa and Carmen Cusack Belt About Art and Love in Lempicka". Theatermania. Retrieved July 14, 2018.

[2] Vine,Hannah (25 July 2018). "First Look at Carmen Cusack and Eden Espinosa in Lempicka at Williamstown Theatre Festival". Playbill. Retrieved July 25, 2018.

[3] "LEMPICKA - A New Musical | Official Website".

[:0-4] Reiter, E. H. "Review: LEMPICKA at La Jolla Playhouse Is a Bold and Compelling Musical Portrait". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-01-28.

[:1-5] Putnam, Leah (4 May 2022). "Eden Espinosa, Amber Iman, More to Lead Long-Awaited La Jolla Run of Rachel Chavkin-Helmed Lempicka". Playbill. Retrieved 28 January 2023.

[6] Paulson, Michael (2023-10-30). "'Lempicka,' New Musical About Art Deco Artist, to Open on Broadway". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-10-30.

[7] SpotCo. "Cast". LEMPICKA | Official Broadway Website. Retrieved 2024-03-19.

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v t e Tamara de Lempicka
Paintings	The Dream (1927) Autoportrait (Tamara in a Green Bugatti) (1928) The Musician (1929) Adam and Eve (1932) Portrait of Marjorie Ferry (1932)
Related	Adrienne Górska (sister) Art Deco Tamara (1981 play) Tamara (2018 musical)