Recap the Recent Works of Thomas Kail

Thomas Kail returns to Broadway this season to direct the new revival of Sweeney Todd, which just opened last night. March 26, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Kail may be best known for his work on Hamilton, but he has done so much more, on both stage and screen.

Here are just a few of his projects from the past decade, that you may or may not have known about!

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Hamilton

While Kail made a name for himself with a career long before this juggernaut came to be, Hamilton is still to this day what he is most often associated with. The musical gave Kail a chance to once again work alongside his friend, the show's creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, with whom he also collaborated on In The Heights several years prior.

For Hamilton, Kail took home a Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical, as well as a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical. He was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle Award as well.

Kail also won the Emmy Award as a Producer on the filmed version of Hamilton on Disney+ for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) in 2021.

Grease Live!

Grease Live! aired on January 31, 2016, and was directed by Kail, starring Aaron Tveit, Julianne Hough, Carlos PenaVega and Vanessa Hudgens.

The production incorporated elements from both the stage production of Grease, and the 1978 film of the same name. Grease: Live! featured songs that were created for the film version, such as the theme song "Grease (Is The Word)", "You're the One That I Want", and "Hopelessly Devoted to You", as well as songs that were exclusive to the stage version, such as "Freddy, My Love" and "Those Magic Changes"

Kail and Alex Rudzinkski took home the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special. He was also credited as part of the team winning the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Program, alongside Marc Platt, Alex Rudzinski, Adam Siegel, and Greg Sills.

Dry Powder

Kail returned to The Public Theater, where Hamilton began, to direct Dry Powder in 2016.

The play, by Sarah Burgess, had its world premiere at the Public, as part of Oskar Eustis' 10th Anniversary season, beginning previews on March 1.

The cast was led by Hank Azaria (Rick), Claire Danes (Jenny), Sanjit De Silva (Jeff Schrader), and John Krasinski (Seth).

Daphne's Dive

Kail reunited with Quiara Alergría Hudes, with whom he worked on In The Heights, to direct this world premiere production at Signature Theatre in 2016.

Daphne's Dive is a cheap corner bar in North Philly where Daphne and her vibrant, eclectic regulars drink to art, politics, and life. As Daphne's adopted daughter, very different from her reserved and pragmatic mother, grows up, this unconventional family is forced to confront who's an insider, who's an outsider, and the challenge of opening your heart to strangers.

The cast included Vanessa Aspillaga as Daphne, Carlos Gomez as Acosta, K.K. Moggie as Jenn, Tony Award nominee Daphne Rubin-Vega as Inez, Matthew Saldivar as Pablo, Tony Award nominee GordonJoseph Weiss as Rey and SAG Award winner Samira Wiley as Ruby.

Tiny Beautiful Things

Tiny Beautiful Things premiered at The Public Theater in New York City in November 2016 under the direction of Thomas Kail. The play, based on the book by Cheryl Strayed, was co-conceived by Kail, alongside Marshall Heyman and Nia Vardalos.

Tiny Beautiful Things follows the relationships between an anonymous advice columnist named Sugar and the many real-life readers who pour out their hearts to her. Tiny Beautiful Things is about reaching when you're stuck, recovering when you're broken, and finding the courage to ask the questions that are hardest to answer.

Fosse/Verdon

Thomas Kail went on to direct several episodes of the FX biographical miniseries following the life of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon. The series, starring Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams, premiered in eight parts on April 9, 2019.

Kail was nominated for the episode "Nowadays" at the Directors Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Directing - Movies for Television and Limited Series. He was also credited on the nomination for Outstanding Limited Series at the Primetime Emmy Awards, and for his work on the episode "Who's Got the Pain" for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special.

In addition to his directing credit, Kail also served as a producer on the series. He was nominated for a Producers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Producer of Limited Series Television.

Kings

Kail once again returned to The Public Theater in 2018 to direct Kings. The world premiere production, written by Sarah Burgess, was presented as part of The Public's Astor Anniversary Season at their landmark downtown home on Lafayette Street.

Kings officially opened on February 20 and ran for a limited engagement through Sunday, April 1.

The cast included Aya Cash (Lauren), Eisa Davis(Representative Sydney Millsap), Zach Grenier (Senator John McDowell), Gillian Jacobs (Kate), and Rachel Leslie (Understudy for Kate, Lauren, and Rep. Sydney Millsap).

The Wrong Man

Reuniting with orchestrator Alex Lacamoire, with whom he worked on Hamilton, Kail directed The Wrong Man at MCC Theater in 2019.

In this singular and exciting new work, the wrong man meets the wrong woman in the wrong place at the wrong time. Set in Reno, Nevada, The Wrong Man tells the story of Duran, a man just scraping by, who is accused of a murder he says he didn't commit.

The cast was led by three-time Tony Award nominee and Grammy Award nominee Joshua Henry, Ciara Renée, and Ryan Vasquez. They are joined by "American Idol" finalist Anoop Desai, Tilly Evans-Krueger, Malik Kitchen, Libby Lloyd, Amber Pickens, Kyle Robinson, Debbie Christine Tjong, and Julius Williams.

Kail was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director Of A Musical for The Wrong Man in 2020.

Freestyle Love Supreme

While it didn't find its way to Broadway until 2019, Freestyle Love Supreme has been around since 2004. The improvisational hip-hop comedy musical group was created by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Anthony Veneziale and directed by Thomas Kail.

Before being performed on Broadway, there were performances at Ars Nova in 2004, 2006 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Montreal Just for Laughs Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2005, as well as many other performances including Joe's Pub, Google Zeitgeist, Greenwich House Theater, Mo Pitkin's, and others.

The group performed on Broadway at the Booth Theatre from October 2, 2019, through January 12, 2020, and then returned on October 7, 2021 for three-month limited run through January 2, 2022. The group then embarked on a National Tour beginning on January 21, 2022. The tour concluded at The Pasadena Playhouse, in California on August 7, 2022.

Other Producing Credits

These are just some of the highlights of Thomas Kail's directing career, but it should also be known that he has had producing credits on various other stage productions, including Derren Brown: Secret, Is This A Room, and Dana H.