James Lapine
INTO THE WOODS To Be Presented At Hill Country Community Theatre (Jun 8, 2026)
Jo Foster, Gracie McGonigal, and More Join INTO THE WOODS West End Transfer (Jun 8, 2026)
Our Favorite Moments From the 2026 Tony Awards (Jun 8, 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 - Jun 8, 2026
Hill Country Community Theatre announced details for an upcoming season of productions, with performances set to take place at its Texas venue.
by Stephi Wild - Jun 8, 2026
Initial casting has been announced for the West End transfer of the Bridge Theatre production of Into The Woods. Learn more about the production and the cast here!
by Josh Sharpe - Jun 8, 2026
Once again, Broadway's biggest night has come and gone! With the 79th Annual Tony Awards now behind us, we have compiled a list of some of the most memorable moments from the evening, including standout wins, performances, and more.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jun 5, 2026
You can now watch the acceptance speeches from this year’s Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre recipients André Bishop, Jules Fisher, and James Lapin, and Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award winner Mary-Mitchell Campbell.
by Bruce Glikas - Jun 7, 2026
The stars are aligning at Rockefeller Center! That's where the best of Broadway comes together today to walk the red carpet ahead of the 79th Annual Tony Awards- the biggest celebration in the American theatre. BroadwayWorld of course will be on hand at Radio City Music Hall all night to keep you up to speed on what's going on onstage, backstage, and behind the scenes!
by A.A. Cristi - Jun 4, 2026
Arc Stages' Community Stage in Pleasantville, NY, will present William Finn's A NEW BRAIN, directed by Rena Gavigan, as the final production of its 2025-2026 season.
by Nicole Rosky - Jun 7, 2026
Something's coming! The best of Broadway will take the stage Sunday night at Radio City Music Hall for the 79th Annual Tony Awards, hosted by P!nk. Need a refresher on how to watch and when? We've got you covered!
by Josh Sharpe - Jun 3, 2026
Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles will release her new album, Good Grief, on August 28, accompanied by a U.S. tour. Listen to the album’s first single, “Home,” available now.
by Stephi Wild - Jun 2, 2026
Kokandy Productions will present SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE at Chicago's Chopin Downstairs Studio, marking the first Chicago storefront production of the Sondheim-Lapine musical in over 15 years.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 29, 2026
The 2026 Tony Award Nominees gathered at The Rainbow Room for the 2026 Nominees Luncheon to celebrate the Broadway season and share in the excitement of joining this year’s class of Tony Nominees. See photos!
by Adela González Pérez - May 28, 2026
Iñigo Etayo y Laura Enrech encabezarán el elenco de esta obra maestra de Stephen Sondheim que se presentará en los Teatros Luchana.
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 Nicole Rosky - May 23, 2026
The 2026 Tony nominees are already winners... literally. For some, this marks their first nomination, but others have already won Tony Awards in seasons past. We took a look at which nominees have won at least a Tony or two (or four!) - amongst them, they've gathered a total 64 awards.
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 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.
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 at the BroadwayWorld Awards for Act One. He was honored with Outstanding Director of a Musical at the Drama Desk Awards for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and for Amour. Additionally, he won Outstanding Director - Musical at the Drama Desk Awards for Dirty Blonde. Lapine has also won multiple Tony Awards, including Best Book of a Musical for Passion, Falsettos, and for Into the Woods. He was recognized with the Outstanding Book of a Musical at the Drama Desk Awards for both Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George. Furthermore, he won the Best Musical award from the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for both Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George.
Videos
