Alexander Cesare Gemignani (born July 3, 1979) is a Broadway actor, tenor, musician, and conductor. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in Carousel and a Drama Desk Award for his performance in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Alexander Gemignani | |
|---|---|
 Gemignani in May 2018 | |
| Born | 3 July 1979 New Jersey |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, musician, conductor |
| Years active | 2000-present |
Early and personal life
editGemignani is the son of Broadway musical director Paul Gemignani and soprano Carolann Page. He was raised in Tenafly, New Jersey and graduated from Tenafly High School in 1997.[1] He is a graduate of the University of Michigan's Musical Theater Department.
Gemignani was married in August 2008 to actor/director Erin Ortman.
Career
editGemignani is known for his roles in Broadway musicals, including Assassins, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Les Misérables, Sunday in the Park with George, and Carousel, receiving a Tony Award nomination for the latter. His film and television credits include The Producers, The Good Wife, Homeland, Chicago Fire, Empire, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (recurring as Janusz, the eventual husband of the Weissmans’ maid, Zelda).[2]
Gemignani participated in a memorable performance of "Opening Doors" from Merrily We Roll Along at Symphony Space's Wall to Wall Sondheim event celebrating Stephen Sondheim's 75th birthday in March 2005. He also performed in three gala concerts honoring Sondheim's 80th birthday in 2010: with the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall, singing "Something's Coming" from West Side Story in March; then at New York City Center in April;[3] and with The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall in November. He performed "Buddy's Blues" from Follies in the online 90th birthday celebration Take Me To The World on April 26, 2020. He made his conducting debut with the New York Philharmonic in Live from Lincoln Center's New Year's Eve: Celebrating Sondheim on December 31, 2019.[4]
Recently, Gemignani has begun to work as a music director, following in his father's footsteps. He served as the conductor, music director, and music supervisor for the 2020 revival of West Side Story, and has developed pieces for the Public Theatre and the Roundabout Theatre Company.[5][6] He served as music director and orchestrator for the Fiasco Theatre production of Merrily We Roll Along.[7] He is the artistic director of both the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Music Theater Conference as well as the American Music Theatre Project at Northwestern University. He is also an educator and is an associate professor at Northwestern University.
Theatre credits
edit- John Hinckley in the Roundabout Theatre's Assassins in 2004
- Private Augenti in Passion, 10th Anniversary Concert in 2004
- Lieutenant Torasso in Passion, with Patti LuPone, Michael Cerveris, and Audra McDonald at The Rose Theater in March 2005
- Stewpot in South Pacific, staged concert with Reba McEntire and Brian Stokes Mitchell at Carnegie Hall in June 2005
- Beadle Bamford in John Doyle's 2005 Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical)
- Jean Valjean in the 2006 Broadway revival of Les Misérables
- Sweeney Todd in John Doyle's 2007 national tour of his Broadway production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street opposite Judy Kaye
- Boatman/Dennis in the 2008 Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George
- Addison Mizner in the Sondheim-Weidman 2008 musical Road Show at the Off-Broadway Public Theater[8]
- Moishe Rosenwald in the new musical The People in the Picture at Studio 54 in 2011
- Nick Merritt in the play Headstrong at Ensemble Studio Theatre in 2012
- John Hinckley in the 2012 reunion concert of the Roundabout Theatre's Assassins
- Billy Flynn in the Broadway revival of Chicago in 2013 and 2015
- Violet's Father in the Broadway revival of Violet in 2014
- Edward Rutledge in the Encores! production of 1776 in 2016[9]
- King George III in the Chicago production of Hamilton in 2016
- Enoch Snow in the Broadway production of Carousel (Tony and Grammy Award nominations) in 2018
- Alfred P. Doolittle in the Broadway production of My Fair Lady in 2019
References
edit- ^ Kampfe, John. "Tenafly: Small Town, Big Stars – Part 2", Jerseywood, June 13, 2016. Accessed October 9, 2018. "Alexander Gemignani — The son of renowned Broadway music director Paul Gemignani is known primarily for his work on the New York stage.... Gemignani was born in New York City but grew up in Tenafly and, yes, he too is a Tenafly High alum (1997)."
- ^ Petski, Denise (2023-04-06). "'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel': Hank Azaria, Sutton Foster, Darren Criss Among Season 5 Guest Stars; Alexander Gemignani To Recur". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ New York City Center Gala Honoring SONDHEIM, BroadwayWorld, April 29, 2010.
- ^ "LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER: New York Philharmonic New Year's Eve 2019: Sondheim Celebration". 18 November 2019.
- ^ "Alexander Gemignani".
- ^ "Alexander Gemignani Biography | Broadway Buzz | Broadway.com". www.broadway.com. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ "Alexander Gemignani | NYU Steinhardt".
- ^ Hetrick, Adam. "Sondheim and Weidman's Road Show Pulls Into the Public Oct. 28" Archived 2008-10-31 at the Wayback Machine, playbill.com, October 28, 2008
- ^ Encores! 1776 Casts Diverse Array of Theatre Stars
External links
edit- Alexander Gemignani at the Internet Broadway Database
- Alexander Gemignani at IMDb
- Alexander Gemignani on Broadway Buzz Star File