Alexander Gemignani

Alexander Gemignani
Gemignani in May 2018
Born (1979-07-03) 3 July 1979 (age 45)
New Jersey
Occupation(s)Actor, musician, conductor
Years active2000-present

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.

Early and personal life

Gemignani 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

Gemignani 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

References

  1. ^ 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)."
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ New York City Center Gala Honoring SONDHEIM, BroadwayWorld, April 29, 2010.
  4. ^ "LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER: New York Philharmonic New Year's Eve 2019: Sondheim Celebration". 18 November 2019.
  5. ^ "Alexander Gemignani".
  6. ^ "Alexander Gemignani Biography | Broadway Buzz | Broadway.com". www.broadway.com. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  7. ^ "Alexander Gemignani | NYU Steinhardt".
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ Encores! 1776 Casts Diverse Array of Theatre Stars