VIDEO: Alex Timbers Visits Backstage LIVE with Richard Ridge- Watch Now!

Timbers chats about his Tony nomination and what's next for Moulin Rouge! and Beetlejuice!

By: Feb. 27, 2021
Get Access To Every Broadway Story

Unlock access to every one of the hundreds of articles published daily on BroadwayWorld by logging in with one click.




Existing user? Just click login.



Seeing your favorite Broadway stars live on a Broadway stage may not be a reality for a while, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy them live from your screen. BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge is keeping up with all of their latest projects on Backstage Live, bringing you in-depth interviews twice weekly.

Watch as he chats with Broadway director extraordinaire Alex Timbers, who is currently nominated for a Tony Award for his incredible work on Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

"I'm a director of musicals- that's what I see myself as, and I've never been nominated in this category," said Timbers about his nomination. "That has been a thrilling part [of this journey]. And also to have so many of the other folks on the team recognized like Robyn [Hurder], Sahr [Ngaujah]... these performers are so extraordinary and it's so wonderful for them to be recognized along with Karen [Olivo], Aaron [Tveit], Danny [Burstein], the designers... it's awesome!"

What's he been up to while theatre is paused? "With Moulin Rouge, we've been doing Australia auditions. And with Beetlejuice, we're doing Korea auditions," he teased. "That's been a real highlight over the past month to focus on."

Alex Timbers is a director and writer currently nominated for a Tony Award for his direction of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, which has been nominated for a total of 14 Tonys including Best Musical. This marks Alex's third overall Tony nomination and his first in the Best Direction of a Musical category. He was previously nominated for Best Direction of a Play in 2012 for Peter and the Starcatcher, and for Best Book of a Musical in 2011 for Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.

In addition to Moulin Rouge!, Alex was most recently represented on Broadway by the hit musical Beetlejuice and the groundbreaking theatrical experience David Byrne's American Utopia. In 2020, he was honored by the Outer Critics Circle in the 'Best Director of a Musical' category, and received a 'Best Musical Theater Album' Grammy Award nomination as producer of the Moulin Rouge! original cast recording. He is also the 2019 recipient of the Drama League Award for 'Excellence in Directing'.

His extensive theater credits include Peter and the Starcatcher, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Here Lies Love, Love's Labour's Lost, Rocky: The Musical, and The Pee-Wee Herman Show, among many others. He is a Golden Globe Award winner as co-creator of Amazon's "Mozart at the Jungle" and recently directed Netflix's Ben Platt: Live from Radio City Music Hall. He also regularly works with John Mulaney, having directed his Broadway production Oh, Hello and its subsequent Netflix filming; and Mulaney's Emmy-winning Netflix special John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City. He co-founded the influential downtown theater company, Les Frerers Corbusier, whose groundbreaking work continues to reflect in his work today.

It was recently announced he will also direct a Warner Bros. animated musical feature film, Toto, which tells the story of The Wizard of Oz from the point of view of Dorothy's loyal companion.



Videos