One of the world’s greatest artists deserves the world’s biggest stage: LEMPICKA comes to Broadway, following critically acclaimed, sold-out runs at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and the La Jolla Playhouse. From the Tony Award®-winning director of HADESTOWN and starring Eden Espinosa, this New York Times Critic’s Pick is a sweeping musical portrait of a woman who changed art and culture forever.
Spanning decades of political and personal turmoil and told through a thrilling, pop-infused score, LEMPICKA boldly explores the contradictions of a world in crisis, a woman ahead of her era, and an artist whose time has finally come.
“Eden Espinosa has finally found a part to match her high-voltage talent in this rousing, surprising, intricately shaded portrait of a conquering heroine.” The New York Times
“A singular boldness pulses through LEMPICKA, a musical that’s as ambitious and complex as the painter it frames onstage.” The Los Angeles Times
In any case, the show’s oft-mentioned fusion of humanity with machinery suddenly struck me as a clarifying metaphor for my mixed reaction to “Lempicka,” which opened on Broadway tonight at the Longacre. Carson Kreitzer, who conceived of the musical and co-wrote the libretto with Matt Gould, has created some artful lyrics for Gould’s music. Director Rachel Chavkin oversees some precisely calibrated moments. Naturally gifted cast members give polished performances, most notably Eden Espinosa in the title role, and especially Amber Iman as Rafaela. But the songs and scenes ultimately add up to an almost mechanical-feeling sameness, loud and overwhelming.
Indeed, a perceived need to glob on enough sexy-modern Broadway pizzazz to appeal to a broader public might well be what torpedoed “Lempicka,” now at the Longacre Theatre. This potentially appealing show would have sat more easily as a feminist, non-musical drama in a less pressured space, where the director, Rachel Chavkin, and the performers, all too aware of their need to liven up this clunky bio-musical, did not have to push so darn hard.
Digital Rush:
Price: $44
Where: https://rush.telecharge.com/
When: 11am on the day of performance.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Subject to availability.
Digital Lottery:
Price: $35
Where: https://rush.telecharge.com/
When: The digital lottery opens at 12AM ET one day before the performance closing at 3 PM the day before the performance. Winners are drawn at 10AM ET and 3PM ET that same day.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Winners will be notified by email shortly after each drawing and have six hours to claim and purchase tickets online. Tickets will be emailed. While every effort will be made to seat pairs together with a full view, there is a chance that pairs may be split up and that your seat may have a partial view of the stage.
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