New Musical GALILEO Set for Broadway Next Season with Raúl Esparza in the Title Role
A new musical titled GALILEO is officially heading to Broadway next season, led by four time Tony nominee Raúl Esparza in the titular role.
The production will mark Esparza’s first return to Broadway in more than 13 years. He will be joined by Joy Woods, recently nominated for her performance in GYPSY, and Jeremy Kushnier.
GALILEO will begin preview performances on November 10 at the Shubert Theatre, with an official opening night scheduled for December 6. The production is slated to move into the theatre following the February closure of HELL’S KITCHEN, unless another show occupies the venue in the interim.
The musical arrives on Broadway after making its world premiere at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2024.
The book is written by Danny Strong, who recently revised the book for the Broadway revival of CHESS this season. Direction is by Michael Mayer, also currently at the helm of CHESS, with an original score by Zoe Sarnak and Michael Weiner. Choreography is by David Neumann.
Producers Amanda Lipitz, Henry Tisch and Jordan Roth, formerly head of Jujamcyn Theaters and now Creative Director of ATG Entertainment, are backing the production.
For Esparza, the role represents a significant Broadway homecoming. The performer earned Tony nominations for his work in COMPANY, TABOO, THE HOME OF THE BRAVE and SPEED THE PLOW, and has been widely recognised for his stage and screen performances. He was last seen on Broadway in 2012’s LEAP OF FAITH, which had a brief run.
The new musical centres on the life of the legendary astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei, one of history’s most transformative and controversial thinkers. While detailed plot information has yet to be released, the creative team’s pedigree suggests an ambitious theatrical treatment of the figure whose clash with authority reshaped humanity’s understanding of the universe.
With a high profile leading man, a Broadway tested creative team and a premiere slot at one of New York’s most historic theatres, GALILEO is shaping up as one of the major new musical arrivals of the coming season.
