James Lapine
Jodi Benson To Star In INTO THE WOODS At Dr. Phillips Center’s Steinmetz Hall (Feb 28, 2026)
FALSETTOS and THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME Join Houston Broadway Theatre 2026 Season (Feb 25, 2026)
Ariana DeBose and Solea Pfeiffer to Honor Vanessa Williams at Signature Theatre Gala (Feb 24, 2026)
BIO
Lapine is an American stage director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.
Photos
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Productions
Writing
Playwright
Movies
[ 1993 ] director
[ 2011 ] writer
[ 2016 ] producer
Awards and Nominations
winner
James Lapine, Act One
James Lapine, Act One
winner
James Lapine, The 25sup>th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee
James Lapine, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
James Lapine, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
winner
James Lapine, Amour
James Lapine , Into the Woods
James Lapine, Into the Woods
winner
James Lapine, Dirty Blonde
James Lapine, Dirty Blonde
James Lapine, Passion
James Lapine, Passion
winner
James Lapine, Passion
James Lapine , Passion
winner
James Lapine, Falsettos
James Lapine, Falsettos
winner
James Lapine, Into the Woods
James Lapine, Into the Woods
winner
James Lapine, Into the Woods
winner
James Lapine, Into the Woods
James Lapine, Into the Woods
winner
James Lapine, Sunday in the Park with George
winner
James Lapine, Sunday in the Park with George
winner
James Lapine, Sunday in the Park with George
James Lapine, Sunday in the Park with George
James Lapine , Sunday in the Park with George
Videos
Video: 'The I Love You Song' from THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE at Theatre Under The Stars
by Joshua Wright - 2025-10-31 16:36:44
Video: Watch 'I Speak Six Languages' from SPELLING BEE at Theatre Under The Stars
by Michael Major - 2025-10-29 14:07:20
Video: 'Magic Foot' from the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Theatre Under The Stars
by Allison Henry - 2025-10-22 13:04:27
Video: THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE at Theatre Under the Stars
by Stephi Wild - 2025-10-21 11:30:20
Video: Lea Salonga & Arielle Jacobs Lead INTO THE WOODS in Manila
by Joshua Wright - 2025-08-11 09:37:29
Video: Nathan Lane Receives the Stephen Sondheim Award from Signature Theatre
by Joshua Wright - 2024-05-13 12:03:14
Video: Vanessa Williams Releases Music Video for New Single 'Legs (Keep Dancing)'
by Blair Ingenthron - 2024-04-28 14:14:07
Video: Phillips and Suskauer Sing 'Move On' from Axelrod's SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
by Blair Ingenthron - 2024-03-24 09:32:59
Video: Watch Graham Phillips & Talia Suskauer in Axelrod's SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
by Nicole Rosky - 2024-03-13 09:38:34
Vanessa Williams Will Play Miranda Priestly in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA Musical
by Stephi Wild - 2024-02-19 05:26:34
Video: Sara Bareilles Sings 'When You Wish Upon a Star' For Disney's 100th Anniversary
by Michael Major - 2023-05-18 10:12:22
VIDEO: Go Inside Rehearsals for INTO THE WOODS at Dallas Theater Center
by Alan Henry - 2023-03-14 17:06:39
Video: Watch 'Moments In The Woods' & 'It Takes Two' from INTO THE WOODS at Paramount Theatre
by Alan Henry - 2023-02-16 12:49:19
Exclusive: Graham Phillips & Krystina Alabado Sing 'Move On' in Rehearsal For Pasadena Playhouse's SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
by Alan Henry - 2023-02-06 12:00:20
Video: Watch Joaquina Kalukango Perform 'Last Midnight' in INTO THE WOODS
by Chloe Rabinowitz - 2022-12-29 12:34:05
Video: Joaquina Kalukango Gets Ready to Step Into INTO THE WOODS
by Nicole Rosky - 2022-12-12 15:32:46
News
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 28, 2026
Jodi Benson will star as The Witch in INTO THE WOODS at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts’ Steinmetz Hall in Orlando. The limited summer engagement marks Benson’s return to the venue.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Feb 25, 2026
Houston Broadway Theatre will present two productions for 2026 with Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Wortham Center, and Falsettos, playing this spring.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Feb 24, 2026
Virginia’s Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre will honor star of stage and screen Vanessa Williams with the company’s fifteenth Stephen Sondheim Award.
by Stephi Wild - Feb 19, 2026
Olly Alexander and Iz Hesketh will join Vanessa Williams and Matt Henry in a UK reading of Stan Zimmerman's suicide awareness play, RIGHT BEFORE I GO, at London's Soho Theatre.
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 18, 2026
American Stage in the Park returns to Demens Landing Park on March 25 with Into the Woods, an outdoor production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's beloved musical based on Grimm's fairy tales.
by Gillian Blum - Feb 6, 2026
Tickets are now on sale for Arts Alive!'s 2026 Pre-Professional production of Into the Woods, performing March 13-15 at the Barrington Middle School Auditorium.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Feb 2, 2026
Signature Theatre will honor star of stage and screen Vanessa Williams with the company’s fifteenth Stephen Sondheim Award. The Stephen Sondheim Award will be presented at a black-tie Gala Benefit.
by Joshua Wright - Jan 29, 2026
Theatre Group Asia has announced its 2026–2027 season, which will feature three international productions that have not previously been staged in the Philippines.
by Josh Sharpe - Jan 22, 2026
Next year, Jonathan Bailey will pick up the paintbrush as he steps into the role of George Seurat in the highly anticipated West End production of Sunday in the Park with George. Mandy Patinkin, who originated the role on Broadway, recently shared his thoughts about the new production, even offering some advice to Bailey.
by A.A. Cristi - Jan 22, 2026
The Cape Playhouse will present its 2026 summer season from June 3 through September 19 at the historic Cape Playhouse in Dennis, Massachusetts. The season, unveiled by Artistic Director Eric Rosen, will include five musical theater productions as the organization approaches its centennial in 2027.
by Stephi Wild - Jan 21, 2026
The Cape Playhouse has announced its 2026 summer line-up, in advance of its centennial on July 4, 2027. The lineup will include a production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, directed by Claybourne Elder. Learn more about the full season!
by Stephi Wild - Jan 21, 2026
Sunday in the Park with George is opening on Thursday, January 22, at Little Theatre of Fall River, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, and Directed by Aaron Gendreau-Visco. Check out photos here!
by Stephi Wild - Jan 20, 2026
The Little Theatre of Fall River will present SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, opening this Thursday. Directed by Aaron Gendreau-Visco, the production features music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Lapine.
by Rebecca Kaplan - Jan 16, 2026
Read a conversation with Morley about the 1/23 concert, which weaves history about NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 between songs from the show.
by Stephi Wild - Jan 15, 2026
The Legacy Theatre’s focus for 2026 is “there’s no place like home.' For Eric Santagata, those words have an incredibly special meaning as he prepares to succeed Legacy Co-Founder and Executive Artistic Director, Keely Baisden Knudsen
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jan 14, 2026
Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande have been confirmed to star in a new stage production of Stephen Sondheim’s legendary musical, Sunday in the Park with George.
by Stephi Wild - Jan 14, 2026
Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey have taken to Instagram to further tease the production of Sunday in the Park With George, in which they are rumored to star in London.
by A.A. Cristi - Jan 6, 2026
Little Theatre of Fall River will present Sunday in the Park with George, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, from January 22 through February 1 in Fall River, Massachusetts.
by Stephi Wild - Jan 5, 2026
In personal celebration of Stephen Sondheim, an all new tribute podcast will be released by Martin Milnes and Peter E. Jones, on all streaming platforms. Learn more here!
by Gillian Blum - Dec 21, 2025
Hot off their record-breaking runs of Jekyll & Hyde and Amélie the Musical, Kokandy Productions is back in 2026 with three full productions, including their first play with music.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
James Lapine has written 18 shows including Table Settings (Playwright), Sunday in the Park with George (Bookwriter), Into the Woods (Bookwriter), Falsettoland (Bookwriter), Falsettos (Bookwriter), Passion (Bookwriter), Luck, Pluck, and Virtue (Bookwriter), Twelve Dreams (Playwright), A New Brain (Bookwriter), The Moment When (Playwright), Dirty Blonde (Conceiver), Fran's Bed (Playwright), Sondheim on Sondheim (Conceiver), Act One (Adapter), Little Miss Sunshine (Playwright), Barbara Cook: Then and Now (Conceived by), Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing (Author), Flying Over Sunset (Book).
Best Play (BroadwayWorld Awards) for Act One, Best Play (Tony Awards) for Act One, Outstanding Director of a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for The 25sup>th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee, Outstanding Director (The Lortels) for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Best Direction of a Musical (Tony Awards) for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Outstanding Director - Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Amour, Outstanding Director of a Musical (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Into the Woods , Best Direction of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Into the Woods, Outstanding Director - Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Dirty Blonde, Best Direction of a Play (Tony Awards) for Dirty Blonde, Outstanding Book of a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Passion, Outstanding Director - Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Passion, Best Book of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Passion, Best Direction of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Passion, Best Book of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Falsettos, Best Direction of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Falsettos, Outstanding Book of a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Into the Woods, Outstanding Director - Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Into the Woods, Best Musical (New York Drama Critics Circle Awards) for Into the Woods, Best Book of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Into the Woods, Best Direction of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Into the Woods, Outstanding Book of a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Sunday in the Park with George, Outstanding Director of a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Sunday in the Park with George, Best Musical (New York Drama Critics Circle Awards) for Sunday in the Park with George, Best Book of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Sunday in the Park with George and Best Direction of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Sunday in the Park with George.
James Lapine has won several prestigious awards throughout his career. He received the Best Play award from the BroadwayWorld Awards for Act One. He was honored with the Outstanding Director of a Musical award from the Drama Desk Awards for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, as well as for Amour. Additionally, he won the Outstanding Director - Play award from the Drama Desk Awards for Dirty Blonde. Lapine earned the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for Passion, Falsettos, and Into the Woods. He also received the Outstanding Book of a Musical award from the Drama Desk Awards for Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George. His work on Into the Woods garnered the Best Musical award from the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards. For Sunday in the Park with George, he won the Outstanding Director of a Musical award from the Drama Desk Awards and the Best Musical award from the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards.
Videos