Galileo (musical)
2024 musical by
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Galileo is a rock musical that premiered at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2024, following scientist Galileo Galilei's defense of his findings against the church. It is set to open on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre in December 2026.
| Galileo | |
|---|---|
| A New Musical | |
| |
| Music |
|
| Lyrics |
|
| Book | Danny Strong |
| Basis | Galileo Galilei |
| Premiere | May 15, 2024: Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
Plot
When scientist Galileo Galilei makes discoveries about the universe, he must defend his work against the church.[1]
Production history
In June 2019, Raúl Esparza led a single-performance workshop reading at the Susan Stein Shiva Theatre in Poughkeepsie, New York.[2] Galileo made its world premiere at Berkeley Rep in May 2024.[3] It has a book by Danny Strong, music and lyrics by Michael Weiner and Zoe Sarnak, and is directed by Michael Mayer with choreography by David Neumann.[4][5] The production won six 2025 San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards, including Best Production, from 16 nominations.[6][7]
Galileo is set to begin previews at Broadway's Shubert Theatre on November 10, 2026, with a December 6 opening night.[4]
Characters and cast
| Character | Berkeley Rep[8] | Broadway[9][10] |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2026 | |
| Galileo Galilei | Raúl Esparza | |
| Bishop Maffeo Barberini | Jeremy Kushnier | |
| Virginia Galilei | Madalynn Mathews | Joy Woods |
| Cardinal Morosini | Javier Muñoz | TBA |
| Bishop Grasso | Bradley Dean | TBA |
| Alessandro Tarantola | Christian Magby | TBA |
Awards and nominations
2024 Berkeley Rep production
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards | Best Production | Won | [11][12] | |
| Best Principal Performance | Raúl Esparza | Won | |||
| Madalynn Mathews | Nominated | ||||
| Best Featured Performance | Jeremy Kushnier | Nominated | |||
| Bradley Dean | Nominated | ||||
| Best Stage Direction | Michael Mayer | Nominated | |||
| Best Music Direction | Roberto Sinha | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Music | Michael Weiner and Zoe Sarnak | Won | |||
| Best Original Script | Danny Strong | Nominated | |||
| Best Choreography | David Neumann | Nominated | |||
| Best Specialties Design | Tom Watson | Nominated | |||
| Best Projection Design | Jason H. Thompson and Kaitlyn Pietras | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound Design | John Shivers | Won | |||
| Best Set Design | Rachel Hauck | Nominated | |||
| Best Lighting Design | Kevin Adams | Won | |||
| Best Costume Design | Anita Yavich | Won | |||