Tony-winning director Rachel Chavkin has two musicals running simultaneously on the same block—Hadestown and Lempicka occupy Broadway's Walter Kerr and Longacre Theatres, respectively, on either side of 48th St. The city of New York renamed the street "Chavkin Way" March 20. See photos from the celebration in the gallery below.
Chavkin was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for her work on Natasha Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812 and Hadestown, the latter of which won her the award. That season, Chavkin was the only female director on Broadway.
Khori Michelle Petinaud and Jordan Fisher
Khori Michelle Petinaud and Jordan Fisher
Raja Feather Kelly and Beth Leavel
Carla Hoke-Miller
Carla Hoke-Miller and Rachel Chavkin
Rachel Chavkin
Rachel Chavkin, Beth Leavel, and companies of Hadestown and Beth Leavel
Rachel Chavkin and companies of Hadestown and Lempicka
Beth Leavel and companies of Hadestown and Lempicka
Beth Leavel
Beth Leavel
Beth Leavel
Companies of Hadestown and Lempicka
Rachel Chavkin and companies of Hadestown and Lempicka
Chavkin Way
Rachel Chavkin and Beth Leavel
Rachel Chavkin
Rachel Chavkin
Recent credits also include Second Stage Theater's Broadway production of The Thanksgiving Play. Later this year, Chavkin will direct the world premiere of Florence Welch's Gatsby musical at Massachusetts' American Repertory Theater.
Lempicka began performances March 19 ahead of an April 14 opening night. The new biomusical, following the life of the titular artist and exiled aristocrat, features a book, lyrics and original concept by Carson Kreitzer, with Matt Gould co-writing the book and penning the music.
Eden Espinosa stars as Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka, a young aristocrat-turned-artist who flees with her husband from the turmoil of the Russian Revolution for exile in Paris. Once there, Tamara meets her new muse, Rafaela, and claws her way to success.
WATCH: "That's the Sexiness You're Feeling!": Meet the Cast and Creative Team of Broadway's Lempicka
Opposite Espinosa in the titular role, Amber Iman, Beth Leavel, and Andrew Samonsky star as Rafaela, The Baroness, and Tadeusz Lempicki, respectively. They are joined by George Abud as Marinetti, Natalie Joy Johnson as Suzy Solidor, Zoe Glick as Kizette, and Nathaniel Stampley as the Baron.
WATCH: See the Cast of Lempicka Perform Songs From the Show
Hadestown will soon celebrate its fifth anniversary on Broadway, having opened April 17, 2019. The show, featuring a book and score by Anaïs Mitchell, won eight 2019 Tony Awards: Best Director of a Musical (Chavkin), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (André De Shields), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Bradley King), Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Rachel Hauck), Best Sound Design of a Musical (Jessica Paz and Nevin Steinberg), Best Orchestrations (Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose), Best Original Score (Mitchell), and Best Musical.
The current cast stars Jordan Fisher as Orpheus, Isa Briones as Eurydice, Grammy winner Ani DiFranco as Persephone, Grammy nominee Phillip Boykin as Hades, and Olivier nominee Jon Jon Briones as Hermes.
Mitchell’s folk- and jazz-infused musical layers the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice with that of Hades and Persephone, intertwining the actions—and consequences—of gods and mortals. Hadestown originally began as a theatrical concert performed by Mitchell.
Khori Michelle Petinaud and Jordan Fisher
Khori Michelle Petinaud and Jordan Fisher
Raja Feather Kelly and Beth Leavel
Carla Hoke-Miller
Carla Hoke-Miller and Rachel Chavkin
Rachel Chavkin
Rachel Chavkin, Beth Leavel, and companies of Hadestown and Beth Leavel
Rachel Chavkin and companies of Hadestown and Lempicka
Beth Leavel and companies of Hadestown and Lempicka
Beth Leavel
Beth Leavel
Beth Leavel
Companies of Hadestown and Lempicka
Rachel Chavkin and companies of Hadestown and Lempicka
Chavkin Way
Rachel Chavkin and Beth Leavel
Rachel Chavkin
Rachel Chavkin
