Everything you need to know about 'Lempicka' on Broadway
Eden Espinosa stars as Tamara de Lempicka, a real-life trailblazing Polish painter, in this new musical that also features Beth Leavel and Amber Iman.
Art deco artist Tamara de Lempicka’s life was anything but paint-by-numbers. The bio-musical Lempicka celebrates the daring Polish trailblazer who’s as famous for her Jazz Era portraits of high society as she is for her love affairs with men and women.
Written by Carson Kreitzer and Matt Gould, Lempicka arrives on Broadway following an acclaimed run in California in 2022. Hadestown Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin directs the production at the Longacre Theatre.
Read our guide in order to (paint)brush up on all things Lempicka. Then check out the musical as it comes to life on its natural canvas: the stage.
What is Lempicka about?
Lempicka is based on the life of Tamara de Lempicka, a Polish artist known for her Art Deco portraits and daring lifestyle, both of which oozed sensuality. The musical follows the title character as she flees the turmoil of the 1917 Russian Revolution to Paris, where she’s embraced by high society but faces personal and professional challenges.
Where is Lempicka playing?
Lempicka is at the Longacre Theatre, located at 220 W. 48th St. between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. Designed by Henry Beaumont, the New York City landmark venue was named after Longacre Square, the former name of Times Square.
Recent plays and musicals at the theatre include Leopoldstadt, Macbeth, Diana, the Musical, and The Lightning Thief.
How long is Lempicka?
Lempicka's pre-Broadway production had a running time of 2 hours and 50 minutes, including one intermission. This is subject to change for the Broadway run. The running time for most Broadway musicals ranges from 90 minutes to 3 hours, and 2-plus-hour musicals typically have a 15-minute intermission.
What days is Lempicka playing?
Lempicka plays Tuesday through Sunday, with two performances on Wednesdays and Saturdays and no performances on Mondays. The production begins performances on March 19, and it has no scheduled closing date.
When did Lempicka premiere?
Lempicka debuted at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2018, and a pre-Broadway run of the musical followed at the La Jolla Playhouse in California in 2022, receiving critical acclaim. Lempicka premieres on Broadway on March 19, 2024.
Who wrote Lempicka?
Lempicka is by Carson Kreitzer (book and lyrics) and Matt Gould (book and music) in their Broadway debuts. Kreitzer’s plays include The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer and The Slow Drag. Gould, a recipient of the Richard Rodgers and Jonathan Larson Awards for theatre writers, wrote the docu-musical Witness Uganda among other shows.
Lempicka characters
In addition to Tamara de Lempicka, the main characters in the musical include her family members, muses, and others. They play key roles in shaping the narrative and exploring themes of art, love, and identity in the context of Lempicka’s life.
- Tamara de Lempicka: A Polish artist known for her avant-garde art and then-nontraditional lifestyle.
- Rafaela: A club singer and prostitute who becomes Tamara’s muse and lover.
- Taduesz Lempicki: Tamara’s exiled aristocrat husband.
- Marinetti: A pro-fascist Italian poet.
- Kizette: Tamara’s daughter.
- Suzy Solidor: A Parisian nightclub owner and singer.
- Baroness: A woman in Lempicka’s social circle.
- Baron: A wealthy Hungarian who becomes Tamara’s second husband in the 1930s.
Who is in the cast of Lempicka?
The premiere Lempicka Broadway cast features a palette of seasoned stage performers. Multiple cast members reprise their roles from the La Jolla run.
Eden Espinosa, whose Broadway credits include Rent and Wicked, stars in Lempicka's title role, reprising her role from the pre-Broadway La Jolla run. Also reprising their roles are George Abud as Marinetti, Amber Iman as Rafaela, Natalie Joy Johnson as Suzy Solidar, and Andrew Samonsky as Tadeusz Lempicki.
Newly joining the show for Broadway are The Drowsy Chaperone Tony winner Beth Leavel as the Baroness, Nathaniel Stampley as the Baron, and Zoe Glick as Kizette.
Lempicka songs
The San Diego Union-Tribune applauded Lempicka's “solo songs that define and illuminate the characters.” Below is the list of songs in the Lempicka musical's pre-Broadway run in La Jolla, including the hit lead single "Woman Is." The song list is subject to change for the Broadway production.
Act I
- "Opening"
- "Our Time"
- "Starting Over"
- "Paris"
- "Burn It Up"
- "Time/Two Paintings"
- "The Exchange"
- "A New Vision for the Future"
- "Stillness"
- "L’Amour Fou"
- "My Kingdom"
- "Woman Is"
Act II
- "The Grind"
- "The New Woman"
- "The Most Beautiful Bracelet"
- "Adam and Eve"
- "What She Sees"
- "New Vision (Reprise)"
- "Spinning"
- "Women"
- "Speed"
- "I’d Like Him to Remember Me"
- "The Time I Didn’t Know You"
- "The New Woman (Reprise)"
- "Brush and Oils"
- "Blasted California Sun"
- "Finale"
Major productions of Lempicka
Lempicka has had two major productions since its 2018 premiere. Here is a timeline of the significant stagings of the bio-musical.
- 2018: Kreitzer and Gould’s musical debuted at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts.
- 2022: Lempicka had its pre-Broadway run at the La Jolla Playhouse in southern California. The San Diego Union-Tribune's critic called Lempicka a "visually ravishing musical" with "fierce and formidable acting and vocal performance" from Eden Espinosa in the title role.
- 2024: Lempicka debuts on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre with much of the same cast and creative team from the La Jolla run.
Fun facts about Lempicka
Tamara de Lempicka’s legacy looms large in an iconic music video, evocative nicknames, and more. Learn more about the artist at the heart of Lempicka.
- Famous collectors of Lempicka’s art include Barbra Streisand, Jack Nicholson, and Madonna, whose "Vogue" music video features the artist’s portraits.
- Lempicka inspired other stage productions. In the immersive, politically-charged 1981 play Tamara, audience members followed the title character and others around the Park Avenue Armory, set up to resemble an Italian villa.
- Lempicka was eventually nicknamed “the baroness with the paintbrush.”
- After her death in Mexico in 1980, Lempicka’s ashes were scattered into a volcano.
- In 2020, Lempicka's Portrait de Marjorie Ferry, which depicts a Parisian cabaret singer, fetched $21.1 at auction. That’s a record price for the artist.
How to get Lempicka tickets
Lempicka offers a window into the art, life, and loves of a truly original artist and maverick. Don’t miss your chance to see art and theatre combine in this colorful Broadway show.
Top image credit: George Abud, Beth Leavel, Eden Espinosa, Amber Iman, Natalie Joy Johnson, and Andrew Samonsky. (Photo by Kevin Doan)
In-article image credit: Eden Espinosa in Lempicka at the La Jolla Playhouse. (Photo by Matthew Murphy)
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