BROADWAY’S “GALILEO” A NEW MUSICAL ANNOUNCES COMPLETE CREATIVE TEAM, PRESALE/ONSALE DATES, AND FIRST LOOK AT KEY ART
Press Contact:
Rick Miramontez / Michael Jorgensen / Ellie Detweiler
rick@omdkc.com / michael@omdkc.com / ellie@omdkc.com
212 695 7400
FOR RELEASE ON MONDAY, MAY 18, 2026
COMPLETE CREATIVE TEAM, PRESALE, AND ONSALE DATES
ANNOUNCED WITH A FIRST LOOK AT THE KEY ART FOR
“GALILEO”
A NEW MUSICAL
PREMIERING ON BROADWAY
AT THE SHUBERT THEATRE
BOOK BY TWO-TIME EMMY AWARD WINNER DANNY STRONG
MUSIC & LYRICS BY ZOE SARNAK AND MICHAEL WEINER
CHOREOGRAPHED BY TONY AWARD NOMINEE DAVID NEUMANN
DIRECTED BY TONY AWARD WINNER MICHAEL MAYER
STARRING FOUR-TIME TONY AWARD NOMINEE RAÚL ESPARZA
JEREMY KUSHNIER
AND TONY AWARD NOMINEE JOY WOODS
PREVIEW PERFORMANCES BEGIN NOVEMBER 10
OPENING NIGHT IS DECEMBER 6, 2026
New York, NY (May 18, 2026) — Today, producers Amanda Lipitz, Henry Tisch, and Jordan Roth announced the complete creative team, exclusive presale and onsale dates, along with a first look at the key art for Galileo, the new musical inspired by the life of Galileo Galilei. Featuring a book by Danny Strong and an original score by Zoe Sarnak and Michael Weiner, Galileo will be directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer and choreographed by Tony Award nominee David Neumann. Four-time Tony Award nominee Raúl Esparza will star in the title role marking his first Broadway appearance in more than 13 years, alongside Jeremy Kushnier and Tony Award nominee Joy Woods. Performances begin on Tuesday, November 10, at the Shubert Theatre (225 West 44th Street), with an opening night set for Sunday evening, December 6. Tickets will be on sale through May 30, 2027.
The creative team for Galileo will include Brian Usifer (Music Supervision & Orchestrations), Rachel Hauck (Set Design), Susan Hilferty (Costume Design), Kevin Adams (Lighting Design), John Shivers (Sound Design), and Ethan Tobman (Video & Projection Design). Casting is by Jim Carnahan, CSA and Jason Thinger, CSA. Aurora Productions is the Production Manager, and ShowTown Theatricals is the General Manager.
Key art is available for download here.
Director Michael Mayer said, “It is a tremendous privilege to put together this extraordinary creative team in bringing Galileo to Broadway, some of whom are exciting new voices, and many of these artists are longtime collaborators whose ingenuity, theatricality, and emotional storytelling I have admired for years, and whose work continually challenges and inspires me. As we build a production that explores the collision of science, humanity, and discovery, reuniting with so many of these brilliant creatives feels especially meaningful.”
In a statement, the producers said, “From the very beginning, our goal with Galileo has been to assemble a creative team that could match the scale, imagination, and emotional power of this story. We are excited to bring their vision to Broadway, blending science and art in a way that only Galileo himself could do.”
An exclusive fan presale will be available starting Wednesday, May 27 at 10:00 AM ET at GalileoMusical.com.
General onsale for Galileo will begin on Friday, May 29 at 10:00 AM ET at Telecharge.com or by calling Telecharge at 212-239-6200. Group sales are also available at Broadway Inbound or 866-302-0995.
Galileo is the electrifying and emotional new musical about maverick scientist Galileo Galilei. When he makes astronomical discoveries that revolutionize humanity’s understanding of the universe, he must defend his findings before the most powerful religious institution in the world.
Galileo had its world premiere at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where it was developed prior to Broadway.
Additional information, including complete casting, will be announced shortly.
BIOGRAPHIES
Danny Strong (Book) is an Emmy and Golden Globe-winning writer, director, actor, and producer. He is the creator, showrunner, writer and director of the award-winning Hulu series “Dopesick.” He was also the co-creator, executive producer, writer, and director for the hit FOX series “Empire.” He wrote the screenplays for the films Recount, Game Change, The Butler, Rebel in the Rye (which he also directed), and co-wrote The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & 2. For theater, he wrote a new book to the iconic musical Chess which opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theater in the fall of 2025. As an actor, he’s appeared in major roles in several iconic TV shows and films including “Billions,” “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Mad Men,” “Justified,” “Girls,” “Gilmore Girls,” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” He’s won many awards including two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, two WGA awards, two Peabody awards, a PGA award, the Pen USA Literary Award, the Scripter Award, a DGA nomination, and the NAACP Image Award.
Zoe Sarnak (Music, Lyrics, Arrangements) is a Drama Desk nominated and Larson Award winning composer, lyricist, and writer. Works include NY Times Critic’s Pick The Lonely Few (with Rachel Bonds), Empire Records (with Carol Heikkinen), Particle Fever (with David Henry Hwang and Bear McCreary), A Beautiful Mind (with Sarah Treem); and others soon to be announced. Sarnak was named to the 2024 Broadway Women’s Fund “Women to Watch” list and her music has been featured by the NY Times, The Guggenheim, the BBC and more. @zoesarnak
Michael Weiner (Music, Lyrics, Arrangements) co-wrote the score for the Broadway musical First Date, which premiered at the Longacre Theatre and has subsequently enjoyed hundreds of productions worldwide. Upcoming projects include 13 Going on 30, based on the hit film (Manchester Opera House, September 2025/Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto, November 2026); and Trading Places, directed by Kenny Leon. For film and television, Michael has written songs for “Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical” (Apple TV+), Paws of Fury (Paramount Pictures), “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” (Disney+), and “Once Upon a Time” (ABC). Michael is the recipient of the ASCAP Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award.
Michael Mayer (Director) is a Tony award-winning director. Currently: Broadway: Chess. Off-Broadway: revival of Little Shop of Horrors. Broadway Highlights: Swept Away, A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Spring Awakening, American Idiot (also co-author), Funny Girl (2022 revival), Thoroughly Modern Millie, Side Man, A View from the Bridge, Everyday Rapture, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and Triumph of Love. National Tours: Angels in America, Millie, Spring Awakening, Idiot, Hedwig, Charlie Brown. London: a record-breaking West End run of Funny Girl and UK tour, Spring Awakening, Millie, Idiot, Side Man. Film: Single All the Way, The Seagull, Flicka, A Home at the End of the World. Opera: Rigoletto and La Traviata at Metropolitan Opera, Marnie at the ENO.
David Neumann (Choreographer). Hadestown and Swept Away on Broadway, Grounded at New York’s Metropolitan Opera; The Recipe at La Jolla Playhouse. Film and TV: I Am Legend, “Kindred,” and Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, White Noise, and Jay Kelly. As artistic director of Advanced Beginner Group, recipient of three Bessie Awards and an Obie Award. Recipient of the Chita Rivera Award for Outstanding Choreography, a Tony Award nomination and an LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Hadestown. Recipient of the Chita Rivera Critic’s Choice Award for Swept Away. Upcoming: Begin Again (Old Globe Theatre)
Brian Usifer (Music Supervision & Orchestrations). Broadway credits include Chess (Tony nomination), Swept Away, The Heart of Rock and Roll, A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, Disney’s Frozen, Kinky Boots (Broadway, Tour, London and Toronto), and The Book of Mormon (Associate Music Supervisor). Regional credits include: Berkeley Rep, Arena Stage (Helen Hayes Award winner for Swept Away), The Kennedy Center, and Barrington Stage Co. Concerts include Bobby and Kristen Lopez American Songbook at Lincoln Center, New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Additional orchestrations: NBC’s Annie Live, The Wiz Live. Co-founder of Joy Machine Records.
Rachel Hauck (Set Design). Broadway credits include Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Hadestown, Swept Away, Good Night Oscar, How I Learned To Drive, What The Constitution Means To Me, and Latin History For Morons. Recent work includes The Recipe (LJP), Ceilidh, The Staircase (SCR), Galileo (BRT). Rachel is honored to have received Princess Grace and Lilly Awards, an OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence and UCLAs Distinguished Alumni Award as well as Tony Nominations for Good Night Oscar, Swept Away, and The Jellicle Ball, and a Tony Award for her design of Hadestown. She is a member of the American Theater Wing Advisory Committee and the 1/52 Project Administration Committee.
Susan Hilferty (Costume Design) has designed 400+ productions worldwide. Broadway credits include Wicked (Tony Award), Parade, Swept Away, Funny Girl, Present Laughter, Spring Awakening, Lestat, Into the Woods, and August Wilson’s Radio Golf. Hilferty has also designed for opera: Aida, Rigoletto, and La Traviata (Metropolitan Opera); dance: Love Stories (Alvin Ailey); and live events: Speak Now (Taylor Swift World Tour) and Fully Charged (Ringling Bros. Circus). Her many honors include the Tony, OBIE, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, Lilly, Ruth Morley awards, and three lifetime achievement awards. Hilferty is on faculty at NYU/Tisch Graduate Design, having served 25 years as chair. www.susanhilferty.com
Kevin Adams (Lighting Design). Broadway: Chess (Tony nomination), Spring Awakening (Tony Award), Next to Normal, Hair, Passing Strange, Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Tony Award), American Idiot (Tony Award), Funny Girl, The Cher Show, SpongeBob SquarePants, A Beautiful Noise, Everyday Rapture, A Class Act, Swept Away, The 39 Steps (Tony Award), Take Me Out (premier), solo shows for John Leguizamo and Eve Ensler. Off-Broadway: Hedwig (Jane Street), The Scottsboro Boys, Carrie, & many others. He has also worked at the Metropolitan Opera, in Las Vegas, the Hollywood Bowl and on numerous music videos.
John Shivers (Sound Design). Chess, Real Women Have Curves, Swept Away (2025 Outer Critics Circle Award nominee), The Heart of Rock and Roll, Shucked (2023 Tony and Drama Desk Award nominee), Beauty & the Beast (Worldwide), Pretty Woman (Worldwide), Gettin’ The Band Back Together, Cirque du Soleil’s Paramour, Kinky Boots (2013 Tony Award recipient), Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway, Leap of Faith, Bonnie & Clyde, Sister Act, 9 to 5, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, The Little Mermaid, Tarzan, Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays. International: Wicked, Tarzan, Das Wunder Von Bern, The Lion King. In development: Trading Places, The Wanderer. Other credits: Savion Glover, Dionne Warwick, Burt Bacharach, Gregory Hines and engineering at Electric Lady Studios.
Ethan Tobman (Video & Projection Design) is a Director, Creative Director and Production Designer known for his emotionally driven and visually immersive work across film, live performance, hospitality, and commercials. In the live space, his notable works include creative directing Taylor Swift’s record-breaking The Eras Tour, Creative Directing for Sphere’s Live Residencies including The Eagles and No Doubt, Brandy and Monica: The Boys Is Mine Tour, and the Starscape experience at Genesis House in New York. His feature film and television experience include production designing the Academy Award-winning film Room, The Menu, Beyonce’s Black Is King, and the Emmy award-winning series “Pam and Tommy.” In the music videos space, his credits include Beyonce’s “Lemonade,” Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “All The Stars,” Ok Go’s “The Writings On The Wall,” and Taylor’s Swift’s “Fortnight,” “Anti-Hero,” and “The Fate Of Ophelia.”
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