James Lapine
OCEAN STATE IMPROV FESTIVAL Returns With 37 Troupes From 13 States (May 18, 2026)
Photos: Meet the 2026 Tony Award Nominees (May 15, 2026)
INTO THE WOODS Will Come to Farmers Alley Theatre (May 14, 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: Ariana DeBose Sings 'No One In Alone' From INTO THE WOODS to Honor Vanessa Williams
by Michael Major - 2026-03-25 12:23:41
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
News
by A.A. Cristi - May 18, 2026
The Contemporary Theater Company in Wakefield, RI will present its 8th Annual OCEAN STATE IMPROV FESTIVAL, featuring 37 troupes from 13 states in five days of performances and workshops.
by Nicole Rosky - May 15, 2026
Just yesterday, the 2026 Tony Award nominees gathered at the Sofitel New York to meet the press for the first time and BroadwayWorld was there for the special day. Check out photos of the 2026 nominees here!
by Stephi Wild - May 14, 2026
Farmers Alley Theatre will present a small-cast, in-the-round production of INTO THE WOODS by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, directed by Leonard E. Sullivan, in Kalamazoo, MI.
by Alex Freeman - May 4, 2026
As New York prepares for the 2026 Tony Award nominations and honors the recent Lucille Lortel winners, producers are facing tough questions about whether traditional 8 PM curtain times are driving audiences away. The business landscape is shifting heavily behind the scenes, marked by the merger of licensing giants BMG and Concord, looming strike ballots in the West End, and the Kennedy Center's controversial two-year shutdown. Despite these logistical and financial challenges—including a devastating embezzlement case at a Pennsylvania community theatre—there is plenty of positive momentum to report, from the rapid financial recoupment of the Suffs national tour to new initiatives supporting theater education and large-scale playwriting.
by Theresa Bertram - May 1, 2026
What did our critic think of INTO THE WOODS at Ouachita Baptist University Jones Performing Arts Center?
by Nicole Rosky - May 5, 2026
The 79th Annual Tony Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, May 5, by Uzo Aduba and Darren Criss. The announcement can be viewed LIVE (9am ET) in their entirety here on BroadwayWorld. Catch up on everything you need to know before the announcement!
by - May 1, 2026
Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is May 1, 2026 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.
by Josh Sharpe - Apr 30, 2026
Tony Award-nominated Phillipa Soo will bring her theater background to the screen in the second season of Prime Video's Off Campus. Soo will play a theater artist named Scarlett, who guest directs an original play at the in-universe college, Briar University.
by Stephi Wild - Apr 30, 2026
The Tony Awards Administration Committee announced that André Bishop, Jules Fisher, and James Lapine will each receive the 2026 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
by Stephi Wild - Apr 30, 2026
Chromolume Theatre will present William Finn's ELEGIES: A SONG CYCLE at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, directed by Carol M. Becker, at the Zephyr Theatre in Los Angeles for three performances only.
by Nicole Rosky - Apr 30, 2026
Theatrical licensor Music Theatre International (MTI) has announced the licensing availability of the Outer Critics Circle and Tony Award-nominated musical Flying Over Sunset.
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 28, 2026
Lakeland Players Ltd will present Stephen Sondheim's INTO THE WOODS at the Historic Sprague Theater in Elkhorn, WI, directed by Pamela Beck-Danovich. Tickets are $20.
by Andrew Poretz - Apr 28, 2026
Betty Buckley cast a spell at Joe’s Pub with RANDOM NOTES, blending storytelling and song in a richly varied set. Backed by a stellar quartet, she moved from intimate nuance to soaring moments, delivering a magnetic, deeply personal evening.
by Nicole Rosky - Apr 23, 2026
Lin-Manuel Miranda will host a unique virtual event in support of Senator Jon Ossoff’s re-election campaign, featuring performances by Sara Bareilles, Betty Buckley, Rosanne Cash, and Alan Menken.
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 16, 2026
South Coast Repertory has announced its expanded 2026–27 season, featuring Into the Woods, Hamlet, and a rotating repertory of Mother Russia and The Importance of Being Earnest.
by Michael Major - Apr 14, 2026
Phillipa Soo has revealed her favorite Hamilton song – but it's not one she sang. The Tony-nominated original cast member of the hit musical recently divulged that her favorite song from the musical is 'Wait For It,' which is sung by Aaron Burr.
by - Apr 14, 2026
Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is April 14, 2026 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 13, 2026
Houston Broadway Theatre has revealed the creatives for Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Wortham Center playing this summer with a limited three-week engagement.
by Stephi Wild - Apr 13, 2026
Marking the first West End transfer for The Bridge, the multi-award-winning production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into The Woods will run in the West End this Autumn.
by Nicole Rosky - Apr 12, 2026
London theatre's biggest night returned for its 2026 ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall, where Nick Mohammed hosted the Olivier Awards. Check out a full list of winners here.
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.
Best Play (BroadwayWorld Awards) for Act One; Outstanding Director of a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; Outstanding Director - Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Amour; Outstanding Director - Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Dirty Blonde; Best Book of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Passion; Best Book of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Falsettos; Outstanding Book of a 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; 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; and Best Musical (New York Drama Critics Circle Awards) for Sunday in the Park with George.
Videos
