Theater News

Lempicka to End Broadway Run Later This Month

The show received three Tony nominations, but largely negative reviews.

David Gordon

David Gordon

| Broadway |

May 2, 2024

LEMPICKA BROADWAY 0379 PJZEDIT v003
Amber Iman as Rafaela and Eden Espinosa as Tamara in the Broadway musical Lempicka at the Longacre Theatre
(© Matthew Murphy/Evan Zimmerman)

The Broadway production of Lempicka will end its run on May 19, producers have announced.

Featuring book, lyrics, and concept by Carson Kreitzer, and book and music by Matt Gould, Lempicka is directed by Rachel Chavkin and choreographed by Raja Feather Kelly. Set amid the Russian Revolution, Lempicka picks up as the title painter, her aristocratic husband, and their daughter flee to Paris. There, she finds a new muse in a prostitute named Rafaela, and Tamara must choose between her old life and a new one filled with possibility and passion.

Lempicka opened on Broadway on April 14 to largely negative reviews — one of the few exceptions to that being from TheaterMania critic Christian Lewis, who called it “deeply meaningful to those who will find resonance in its various thematic threads, from the struggles of artists and the desire for a legacy, to the precarity of queer people.” Despite a dedicated fan base, its ticket sales were relatively weak, and it only received three Tony nominations, for stars Eden Espinosa (Tamara) and Amber Iman (Rafaela), and the set by Riccardo Hernández (with nominated projections by Peter Nigrini).

The cast of Lempicka also includes Andrew Samonsky as Tadeusz Lempicki, George Abud as Marinetti, Natalie Joy Johnson as Suzy Solidor, Zoe Glick as Kizette, Nathaniel Stampley as the Baron, and Beth Leavel as the Baroness, with Mariand Torres, Alex Aquilino, Lauren Blackman, Stephen Brower, Kyle Brown, Holli’ Conway, Abby Matsusaka, Jimin Moon, Khori Michelle Petinaud, Ximone Rose, Nicholas Ward, Veronica Fiaoni, Mary Page Nance, Julio Rey, and Michael Milkanin rounding out the company.

The creative team for Lempicka includes Riccardo Hernández (scenic design), Paloma Young (costume design), Bradley King (lighting design), Peter Hylenski and Justin Stasiw (sound design), Peter Nigrini (projection design), Mia Neal (hair and wig design), Remy Kurs (music supervision), Charity Wicks (music direction), Cian McCarthy (orchestrations), and Peter Duchan (creative consultant).

In development for more than 15 years, Lempicka premiered at Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2018, and had a subsequent production at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2022. On Broadway, it will have played 27 previews and 41 post-opening performances.

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