Get to know the cast and creative team of Matt Gould and Carson Kreitzer's new Broadway musical Lempicka, which is now in previews and is set to officially open April 14 at the Longacre Theatre. Prior to performances starting, the cast and creative team met with the press to chat about their thoughts and ideas regarding the biomusical, which follows the life of artist and exiled Polish aristocrat Tamara de Lempicka.
Director Rachel Chavkin was immediately drawn to Lempicka's queer identity, as well as her unwavering resilience. "She fled for her life multiple times, and she was working mostly between World War I and World War II in Paris—she watched her world fall apart again and again in the tumult of the 20th century. This is a story of her life, her work, and most especially, a love triangle between her, her husband, and one of her greatest muses: a woman named Rafaela."
Eden Espinosa stars as the painter Lempicka with Amber Iman alongside her as Lempicka's muse Rafaela. Iman emphasizes the impact of Rafaela on not only Lempicka's life, but her art. "To show the grandiose of her effect on Lempicka: Tamara painted Rafaela seven times in one year. She puts the muse in musical!" says Iman.
Choreographer Raja Feather Kelly expressed excitement for translating Lempicka's sensual illustrations into movement. "It has confidence, it has passion...and that's the sexiness you're feeling when you're watching [the musical]," says Kelly.
Iman hopes that audiences will not only enjoy the show, but be "overwhelmed" by its passion. "We need more Broadway to overwhelm. Yes, we entertain and educate, but I want you to need intermission, to be like, 'What the heck is happening, I need a drink!'"
See the full interview in the video above.
The book, lyrics, and original concept are by Kreitzer, with Gould co-writing the book and penning the music. See a sneak peek music video of Espinosa performing "Woman Is" here.
READ: Eden Espinosa Has Been Waiting a Long Time for a Role Like Lempicka
The cast also includes Beth Leavel, Andrew Samonsky, George Abud, Natalie Joy Johnson, Zoe Glick, and Nathaniel Stampley.
The ensemble is completed by Alex Aquilino, Lauren Blackman, Stephen Brower, Kyle Brown, Holli’ Conway, Abby Matsusaka, Jimin Moon, Khori Michelle Petinaud, Ximone Rose, and Nicholas Ward. Mariand Torres is the standby for Tamara de Lempicka and The Baroness, with the company rounded out by swings Veronica Fiaoni, Michael Milkanin, Mary Page Nance, and Julio Rey.
The production features scenic design by Riccardo Hernández, costume design by Paloma Young, lighting design by Bradley King, sound design by Peter Hylenski and Justin Stasiw, projection design by Peter Nigrini, hair and wig design by Leah J. Loukas, music design by Kirk Cambridge-Del Pesche, music supervision and arrangements by Remy Kurs, music direction by Charity Wicks, orchestrations by Cian McCarthy, and casting by The Telsey Office's Craig Burns. Peter Duchan is serving as creative consultant, and Cody Renard Richard is production stage manager.
Three tracks have been released from a 2022 original cast recording, featuring Espinosa, Abud, and Iman. Click here to stream.
Seaview and Jenny Niederhoffer are producing, with Sue Wagner, John Johnson, and Jillian Robbins serving as executive producers.
Visit LempickaMusical.com.
