New York, New York
by John Kander, Fred Ebb, David Thompson, Sharon Washington, and Lin-Manuel Miranda
The Saint James Theater
Directed and Choreographed by Susan Stroman
Costumes by Donna Zakowska, Lighting by Ken Billington, Sound by Kai Harada, Projections by Christopher Ash & Beowulf Boritt
2023
Tony Award for scenery, Drama Desk Award for scenery, Outer Critics Circle Award for scenery, Outer Critics Circle Award Nomination for projections.
Jim Borstelmann
photo by Paul Kolnik
Anna Uzele, Emily Skinner, Colton Ryan, and company
photo by Paul Kolnik
company
photo by Paul Kolnik
company
photo by Paul Kolnik
Colton Ryan & Anna Uzele
photo by Paul Kolnik
Colton Ryan & Anna Uzele
photo by Paul Kolnik
Colton Ryan, Anna Uzele, & company
photo by Paul Kolnik
Oliver Prose & company
photo by Paul Kolnik
Ashley Blair Fitzgerald & company
photo by Paul Kolnik
Anna Uzele & company
photo by Paul Kolnik
Colton Ryan & Anna Uzele
photo by Paul Kolnik
“A highlight is a tap number staged on high beams, with a couple inscribed with “JK 3181927” and “FE 481928” — Kander and Ebb’s birth dates, and two of the Easter eggs lurking in Beowulf Borittt’s vibrant set, dominated by towering fire escapes. The magical moment known as Manhattanhenge is evoked with a terrific assist from the lighting designer Ken Billington. And there is, as always, the visceral thrill of watching a big band rise up to the stage, when Jimmy’s combo kicks off the title song at the end.” ~Elisabeth Vincentelli, The New York Times
“It’s all rendered with spectacular stagecraft, including Beowulf Boritt’s soaring and dynamic interplay of fire escapes, alleyways and iconic landmarks; evocative projections co-designed by Boritt and Christopher Ash; and lighting by Ken Billington that captures certain snapshots in the day that any New Yorker would say defy description.” ~Naveen Kumar, Variety
“A gasp-worthy set reveal (by Beowulf Boritt at the top of his game) sees a collection of steel beams assemble into a tableau like the “Lunch atop a Skyscraper” photograph, and it’s hard not to smile upon seeing a crew of tap-shoe’d workers you just know is about to deliver.” ~Juan A Ramirez, Theatrely
“Beowulf Boritt's lush, imaginative scenic design at times threatens to eclipse the performers, but they're usually up for the challenge. Each minute of New York, New York is buzzing with life, as background dancers and actors flit in and out of view, telling clever little visual stories, giving New York, New York the energy of its titular city.” ~Lester Fabian Brathwaite, Entertainment Weekly
“A tap dance ingeniously staged on the unfinished beams of a skyscraper—cleverly evoking the famous photograph—is almost worth the price of admission and perfectly combines Stroman’s brilliance with Beowulf Boritt’s note-perfect sets.” ~ Christopher Barnard, Vogue
“Beowulf Boritt’s dependably sumptuous sets .” ~Greg Evans, Deadline
“Beowulf Boritt’s spectacular sets, enhanced by a first-rate design team, add up to a three-dimensional travelogue of New York City, from Times Square, Central Park and Grand Central Terminal to the neighborhood stoop and fire escapes full of kibitzers. Director Susan Stroman choreographs one energetic dance after another, most memorably along a steel beam in mid-air. But, even when the cast isn’t literally dancing, she suggests the bustle, hustle and swirl of New York humanity with little wordless vignettes and in other clever ways, working in tandem with the breathtaking scenery: There is a mob rubout, a street painter who outrages his subject with a portrait that looks more Basquiat than da Vinci, and in the scene in Central Park, doormen who have just been clearing the snow from their walkways, lift their shovels together to form the railing along the park’s Bow Bridge, upon which a couple smooches.” ~Jonathan Mandell, NY Theater
“But the real showstoppers are Beowulf Boritt’s set design and the projections by Boritt and Christopher Ash, which fulfill the show’s mission to be large, brassy, and affectionate. Tall buildings with balconies, descending billboards for the Horn & Hardart automat and Bond’s clothing store, and gargantuan backdrops of skyscrapers and Grand Central Station all contribute to the eye-popping appeal.” ~Michael Musto, the Village Voice
“Elaborate scenic designs by Beowulf Boritt, who also devised the projections with Christopher Ash. Anchored by floor to ceiling tenement fire escapes moving this way and that, It all looks spectacular.” ~Roma Torre, NY Stage Review
“Beowulf Boritt’s scenic design throughout the show is breathtaking.” ~Robert Hofler, The Wrap
“Scenic designer Beowulf Boritt captures New York City’s magic and mayhem with architectural detail and occasional whimsy (interior walls are purposefully cropped as if the city’s notoriously expensive square footage couldn’t accommodate), while projection design by Boritt and Christopher Ash and lighting design by Ken Billington flood the St. James Theatre with a dreamlike quality. The production even honors Manhattanhenge, the coveted day when the sunset aligns with Manhattan’s east-west-oriented streets.” ~Matthew Wexler, Queerty
“Beowulf Boritt’s superb cityscape set.” ~Brian Scott Lipton, CititourNY
"Beowulf Boritt’s scenic design is evocative, sometimes fantastic. A dense set of fire escapes, from which an entire neighborhood looks down on the street, emphasizes the watchfulness (verging on nosiness) of closely situated neighbors and the casual beauty of even the most ploddingly functional aspects of urban design. A scene that takes place in the sky, on treacherous beams of naked metal at a construction site, turns into a tap-dance number, one of the best I’ve seen in recent Broadway shows." ~Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker
“All against the backdrop of Beowulf Boritt’s spectacular set. Each scene is distinctive in its own way. A sensational show-stopper features Tommy and Jimmy tap dancing on steel girders of a towering construction site, set high above the city streets (to the tune of “Wine & Peaches”).As Boritt’s set segues from iconic New York locales (Grand Central Station, the Oyster Bar, the subway, streets decked with fire escapes, the Empire State Building always in the backdrop), you get caught up in the warm-hearted spirit of this exuberant musical.” ~Carol Rocamora, Theater Pizzazz
“Beowulf Boritt’s scenery and projection (the latter co-designed by Christopher Ash) picks a definite lane: the 1940s. Boritt uses his big budget to invent delightful accessories (snow shovels rotated and suspended mid-air become Bow Bridge), and build out opulent sets. The most awe-inspiring piece mirrors the 1932 photograph Lunch atop a Skyscraper.” ~Brittani Samuel, Broadway News
“Beowulf Boritt’s set, as lit by Ken Billington, shows you sunsets peeking through the city’s vintage skyscrapers, bathing Manhattan’s avenues in warmth and hope.” ~New York Daily News
“Set in the 1940s, the musical, directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, could almost have been written then, too, so steeped is it in chipper, starry-eyed nostalgia. (Beowulf Boritt’s sets feature backdrops of iconic structures such as the Empire State and Chrysler buildings.)” ~ Charles Isherwood, Wall Street Journal