Tom Kitt | |
|---|---|
 Kitt in 2024 | |
| Born | Thomas Robert Kitt |
| Education | Columbia University (BA) |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, conductor, orchestrator, musician |
| Spouse | Rita Pietropinto (m. 2000) |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Pulitzer Prize for Drama Tony Award Outer Critics Circle Award Primetime Emmy Award Grammy Award |
Thomas Robert Kitt[1] is an Americancomposer,conductor,orchestrator, andmusician. For his score for themusicalNext to Normal, he shared the 2010Pulitzer Prize for Drama withBrian Yorkey.[2] He has also won twoTony Awards and an Outer Critics Circle Award forNext to Normal, as well as Tony and Outer Critics Circle nominations forIf/Then andSpongeBob SquarePants. He has been nominated for eightDrama Desk Awards, winning one, and he won twoGrammy Awards forBest Musical Theater Album forJagged Little Pill in 2021 andHell's Kitchen in 2025.
Kitt was raised inPort Washington, New York, onLong Island, until age 13, when his family moved toBedford, New York, inWestchester County. He attendedByram Hills High School in neighboringArmonk, New York, where he participated in various theatrical productions.[3] He graduated in 1992. As a youth he attendedInterlochen Arts Camp.[4] He then attendedColumbia College, New York City, graduating with a degree in economics in 1996. During his time at Columbia, Kitt was also a member of the Columbia Kingsmen.[5]
Kitt began working on Off-Broadway in 2002, when he served as music director and conductor forDebbie Does Dallas: The Musical.
In 2006, he composed the music forHigh Fidelity, based on theNick Hornbynovel of the same name.
In 2008, Kitt teamed withBrian Yorkey to createNext to Normal, a show about mental illness in suburban America. The musical addressed issues such as suicide,drug abuse, and ethics in modern psychiatry. He had met Yorkey while studying at Columbia University, and they had attended theBMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop as a team.[3]Next to Normal was well received by critics. Kitt won the 2008Outer Critics Circle Award, Outstanding New Score,[6] and was nominated for theDrama Desk Award, Outstanding Music; andTony Awards for Best Original Score Written for the Theatre and Best Orchestrations for the show.[7] Kitt and Yorkey shared the 2010Pulitzer Prize for Drama forNext to Normal. The Pulitzer Board called it "a powerfulrock musical that grapples with mental illness in a suburban family and expands the scope of subject matter for musicals."[8] Kitt received the 2009 Frederick Loewe Award for Dramatic Composition forNext to Normal from theDramatists Guild of America.[9]
Also in 2008, Kitt composed the music for the playFrom Up Here, which was also nominated for the 2008 Drama Desk Award, Best Play; and the Outer Critics Circle Award.[10][11]
He was the music supervisor for theSherie Rene Scott musicalEveryday Rapture, which ran atSecond Stage Theatre in 2009.[12]
Kitt was the music supervisor, orchestrator and music arranger for the musicalAmerican Idiot, which opened on Broadway in March 2010.[13]
Kitt composed the score forThe Public Theater Shakespeare in the Park (New York City) production ofThe Winter's Tale, which ran in July 2010.The New York Times reviewer wrote that, "His score is a triumph of the less-is-more approach to incidental music."[14]
In August 2010, Brian Yorkey and Kitt's musicalIn Your Eyes was workshopped at the Village Theatre's Festival of New Musicals in Issaquah, Washington.[15]
Kitt's next musical,Bring It On, a musical adaption of the film, was a collaboration withLin-Manuel Miranda,Amanda Green and playwrightJeff Whitty. The musical premiered at theAlliance Theatre,Atlanta, running from January 15, 2011 to February 20, 2011.[16][17] Miranda later called Kitt "one of the best melodists of our generation," and attributed personal growth and education to their relationship.[18]
In 2012, he worked on arranging strings sections for Green Day's album trilogyUno,Dos andTre.[citation needed]
He worked with Brian Yorkey on a new musical titledIf/Then which was workshopped in 2013 in New York City withIdina Menzel in the lead role. Following the workshop, the show had an out-of-town tryout at Washington D.C.'sNational Theatre, from November 5 to December 8, 2013. It opened on Broadway at theRichard Rodgers Theatre on March 4, 2014 in previews, officially on March 30, 2014. The show is directed byMichael Greif, produced by David Stone, and stars Menzel, LaChanze andAnthony Rapp. The choreography is by Larry Keigwin, sets are by Mark Wendland, and costumes by Emily Rebholz.[19][20]
Kitt and Yorkey wrote amusical adaptation of the book (and films)Freaky Friday, with the book by Bridget Carpenter. The musical, developed by Disney Theatrical, began performances at theSignature Theatre, Arlington, Virginia on October 4, 2016. Directed byChristopher Ashley, with choreography bySergio Trujillo, the cast featured Emma Hunton, Jason Gotay andHeidi Blickenstaff.[21][22] The musical begins performances at the La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego on January 31, 2017 to March 12. Directed by Ashley, Hunton and Blickenstaff reprise their original roles.[23]
Dave, a musical based on the 1993 movieDave, premiered in July 2018 at theArena Stage, Washington, DC, with lyrics byNell Benjamin, a book by Benjamin andThomas Meehan, and music by Kitt. Directed byTina Landau, the cast featuredDouglas Sills andDrew Gehling.[24]
Superhero, a new musical by Kitt andJohn Logan, premiered Off-Broadway atSecond Stage Theatre, with an official opening on February 28, 2019.[25][26]
Kitt had reteamed with Brian Yorkey for a musical adaptation ofMagic Mike, withRoberto Aguirre-Sacasa writing the book.[27] By May 2019, the creative team of Kitt, Yorkey and Aguirre-Sacasa left the project and a developmental lab that had been scheduled for the week of May 3 was cancelled.[28][29]
Kitt then composed the new musical titledAlmost Famous, the world-premiere musical adaptation of Cameron Crowe's 2000 coming-of-age filmAlmost Famous. The musical opened September 27, 2019 at The Old Globe in San Diego, California.[30]
Kitt and Yorkey worked on astage adaptation ofThe Visitor.[31] The musical premiered Off-Broadway at thePublic Theater on October 16, 2021. The book is by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Brian Yorkey, choreography byLorin Latarro with direction byDaniel J. Sullivan.[32]David Hyde Pierce and Ahmad Maksoud starred.[33]
Kitt is the composer of the musical titledFlying Over Sunset, which was expected to premiere in a Lincoln Center Theater production on Broadway on March 12, 2020 in previews. The book is byJames Lapine, who is also the director, with the lyrics byMichael Korie.[34][35] The show was postponed whenBroadway shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[36] It was announced in May 2021 that the show would resume production on November 4, 2021 in previews, with the official opening on December 6, 2021.[37][38]
Kitt has signed on to compose the upcomingLooney Tunes animated musical film,Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical, with lyrics and screenplay by Ariel Dumas ofThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[39][40]
Kitt has performed his own songs in a one-man show at various venues such as the Bitter End in New York.[41] He is the founder of The Tom Kitt Band, in which he plays piano. The band's first album isFind Me.[42] Kitt also contributed in 2006 toJulia Murney's self-titled debut album,I'm Not Waiting, for which he co-wrote the songPerfect.
He married Rita Pietropinto in 2000.[5] They have three children.[43]
| Year | Category | Show | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Best Original Score | Next to Normal | Won |
| Best Orchestrations | Won | ||
| 2014 | Best Original Score | If/Then | Nominated |
| 2018 | Best Orchestrations | SpongeBob SquarePants | Nominated |
| 2020 | Jagged Little Pill | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Best Original Score | Flying Over Sunset | Nominated |
| 2023 | Almost Famous | Nominated | |
| 2024 | Best Orchestrations | Hell's Kitchen | Nominated |
Tom Kitt wanted to be the next Billy Joel. He was 13, and he had just moved from Port Washington, Long Island, to the Armonk border (technically Bedford) and started attending Armonk's Byram Hills High School.
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