Kathleen Marshall is a director, choreographer, and creative consultant. She began her Broadway career as an assistant to her brother Rob, the choreographer of Kiss of the Spider Woman, in 1993. The two also collaborated on She Loves Me, Damn Yankees, Victor/Victoria, and Seussical. She was the artistic director for the Encores! series of staged musical revivals from 1996 through 2000. During that time, she choreographed The Boys from Syracuse, Li'l Abner and Call Me Madam and both directed and choreographed Babes in Arms and Wonderful Town. The Encores! production of Wonderful Town transferred to Broadway in November 2003 and ran until January 2005 for which she won the Tony Award for Best Choreography. She was the director and choreographer of the Broadway revival of Pajama Game which opened in February 2006. She directed and choreographed a Broadway revival of Cole Porter's Anything Goes in 2011. She was the director and choreographer of the musical Nice Work If You Can Get It which opened on Broadway in April 2012.
Like most in demand and successful choreographers, she quickly transitioned to the role of Director/Choreographer and helmed shows like Anything Goes, The Pajama Game, Nice Work If You Can Get It and this season’s a capella In Transit.
Kathleen told me how she comes up with those killer numbers in this week’s podcast, as well as . . .
- How her Director in summer stock knew she was going to direct someday.
- What it’s like to have an older brother who is also a successful Director/Choreographer, and what she learned from him.
- What it’s like to be married (!) to a Producer . . . and the three roles she thinks every Producer must fill.
- The downside of long-running shows on Broadway.
- Why non-profit and commercial theater are more similar than not.
Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway