Paul Gemignani (born November 8, 1938) is an Americanmusical director with a career onBroadway andWest End theatre spanning over forty years.
Gemignani began his career in 1971 as a replacement musical director forStephen Sondheim'sFollies, eventually leading the cast on the subsequent tour.[1] Since then, he has been the musical director for over 38 Broadway and West End musicals,[2] including the followingTony Award-winning productions:[3]A Little Night Music (1973),Sweeney Todd (1979),Evita (1979),Jerome Robbins' Broadway (1989),Crazy for You (1992),Passion (1994),Kiss Me, Kate (1999),Into the Woods (2002), andAssassins (2004).[4] Other well-known Broadway productions have includedCandide (1974),Grind (1975),Pacific Overtures (1976),Side By Side By Sondheim (1977),On the Twentieth Century (1978),Merrily We Roll Along (1981),A Doll's Life (1982),Zorba (1983),The Rink (1984),Pulitzer Prize winnerSunday in the Park with George (1984),Big: the musical (1996),High Society (1998),The Frogs (2004), and110 in the Shade (2007).[5]
Gemignani has been the Musical Director for three separate productions ofSweeney Todd, including the original Broadway and London productions (1979–1982), the Royal Opera House production in London (2003–2004) and the 2007 film version withJohnny Depp (music conductor and supervisor). He has been involved in most of the other presentations ofSweeney in the last twenty years.
Gemignani has recorded numerouscast albums and albums featuring musical theatre and opera singers with American Theatre Orchestra and other orchestras. He has been a guest conductor with theBoston Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony, theRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra, theLondon Symphony Orchestra,New York City Opera,Lyric Opera of Chicago,Royal Opera, andNew York City Ballet.[5] He has conducted such films asKramer vs. Kramer (1979),Reds (1981), andSweeney Todd (2007), as well as many television specials, including several installments ofGreat Performances.[6]
He was the recipient of a 1989Drama Desk Special Award and a 2001 Tony Award for Special Lifetime Achievement.[4] In 2006, he received anEmmy Award for "best musical direction" for the PBS/Great Performances presentation ofRodgers and Hammerstein'sSouth Pacific in concert fromCarnegie Hall.[5] Gemignani was honored in an all-star concert, "Another Op'nin, Another Show: A Musical Tribute To Paul Gemignani" on March 30, 2008.[2] In 2008, Gemignani conductedCamelot atLincoln Center and was the music director for the Broadway revival ofPal Joey which opened in December 2008.[7][4]
In 2010, he was inducted into theAmerican Theatre Hall of Fame.[8]
Gemignani served as one of two music supervisors (Michael Higham) for Disney's 2018 musical film "Mary Poppins Returns." His contribution earned him aGuild of Music Supervisors Awards nomination for Best Music Supervision for Films Budgeted Over $25 Million. The film starredEmily Blunt as the titular character andLin-Manuel Miranda as Jack.
He is married to actress Derin Altay.[when?] He has a son,Alexander Gemignani, from his previous marriage toCarolann Page as well as a stepson, August, from his marriage to Derin Altay. Paul Gemignani was also formerly married toRhoda Cohan. A biography of Gemignani,GEMIGNANI: Life and Lessons from Broadway and Beyond by Margaret Hall was published in May 2022 by Applause Theatre and Cinema Books.[9]
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