With the Broadway premiere of new musical Lempicka at the Longacre Theatre in April, Directing alumna Rachel Chavkin ’08 will be the director of two musicals running simultaneously on 48th Street as long-running Hadestown continues its time at the Walter Kerr Theatre. To honor Chavkin’s prolific and versatile work, the city of New York officially renamed 48th Street “Chavkin Way” in a ceremony held on March 20 outside the Longacre Theatre.
In her remarks, Chavkin noted the importance of her collaborators, saying, “The director’s work is totally inseparable from what humans do on and off-stage, so I’ll take it on behalf of all of you, and let us walk the path together.”
Chavkin’s collaborators were present at the ceremony, and Lempicka star Beth Leavel said with enthusiasm that “every day for us is Chavkin’s way.”
Chavkin-directed musical Hadestown has been at the Walter Kerr Theatre on and off since 2019 (the Covid-19 Pandemic halted performances temporarily), and Chavkin won a Tony Award for her direction of the hit production. Lempicka began its Broadway previews in March, after initially premiering at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2018.
More information about Chavkin Way and photos of the unveiling ceremony can be found here.
