Jessica Stone

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Jessica Stone
Born (1970-07-30) July 30, 1970 (age 55)
Occupation(s)Theatre director, actress
Years active1991–present
Notable work Kimberly Akimbo , Water for Elephants
Spouse Christopher Fitzgerald (m. 2003)

Jessica Stone (born July 30, 1970) is an American theatre actress and theatre director. She began her career as a Broadway performer in shows such as Grease , Anything Goes , and The Odd Couple before transitioning to directing. [1] Her directorial work has appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and at major regional theaters across the country. She made her Broadway directorial debut with the 2022 revival of Kimberly Akimbo , for which she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Musical. [2] In 2024, she directed Water for Elephants on Broadway and garnered her second Tony Award nomination in the same category. [3]

Contents

Early life

Born in Rochester, New York, [4] Stone began her career as an actress, with her first credit on the 1991 national tour of Bye, Bye Birdie that starred Tommy Tune and Ann Reinking. [5] She then made her Broadway debut in the 1994 Broadway revival of Grease as Frenchy, alongside Rosie O'Donnell and Megan Mullaly. [6] Her performance received acclaim, being singled out in the New York Times review of the show as "winsome". [7]

Career

Stone continued on Broadway in the 1995 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying as a replacement for the role of Rosemary Pinkington. She then performed in several Off-Broadway productions, including two New York City Center Encores! productions, Babes in Arms and Tenderloin .[ citation needed ]

She found further success on Broadway in the 2000s, including the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Design for Living as Helen Carver, The Smell of the Kill as Molly and The Odd Couple as Cecily Pigeon, along with several Off-Broadway performances.[ citation needed ]

She also served as assistant director for the 2004 Broadway production of Match , which would later inspire her to direct herself. Her final Broadway credit as a performer was as Erma in the 2011 Sutton Foster-led revival of Anything Goes , which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.[ citation needed ]

Stone's first directing credit came in 2022 as the director of the Broadway premiere of Kimberly Akimbo , for which she was nominated for her first Tony Award that year for Best Direction of a Musical. Her direction garnered acclaim, with New York Times critic Jesse Green calling it "exceptional", and stating that she "has turned up the hilarity dial as well, to keep all that emotion in balance". [8]

Just two years later, in 2024, she directed her second Broadway show with Water for Elephants . Her direction yet again received widespread acclaim, with Vulture critic Sara Holdren calling her direction "exuberant" [9] and the New York Post noted "watching (the cast) artfully pitch their tent in director Jessica Stone's production is a pleasure". [10] For her direction of the production, Stone was nominated for a Tony Award, and won an Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical.[ citation needed ]

Stone is set to return to Broadway, directing the 2026 New York City Center Encores! production of High Spirits . [11]

Credits

Selected Credits
YearProductionRoleVenueRef.
1991 Bye Bye Birdie PerformerNational Tour
1994 Grease FrenchyBroadway, Eugene O'Neill Theatre
1995 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Rosemary PinkingtonBroadway, Richard Rodgers Theatre
1998 June Moon PerformerOff-Broadway, Variety Arts Theatre
1999 Babes in Arms Dolores Reynolds New York City Center Encores! Concert
The Country Club PerformerOff-Broadway, Greenwich House
2000 Tenderloin Margie New York City Center Encores! Concert
2001 Design for Living Helen CarverOff-Broadway, Todd Haimes Theatre
2002 The Smell of the Kill MollyBroadway, Hayes Theatre
2004MatchAssistant DirectorBroadway, Plymouth Theatre
2005 The Odd Couple Cecily PigeonBroadway, Brooks Atkinson Theatre
2006 Butley Miss HeasmanBroadway, Booth Theatre
2008 Crimes of the Heart Chick BoyleOff-Broadway, Laura Pels Theatre
2011 Anything Goes ErmaBroadway, Stephen Sondheim Theatre
2022 Kimberly Akimbo DirectorBroadway, Booth Theatre
2024U.S. National Tour
Water for Elephants Broadway, Imperial Theatre
2026 High Spirits New York City Center Encores! Production

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.
2022 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Director of a Musical Kimberly Akimbo Nominated [12]
Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding Director of a MusicalNominated [13]
2023 Tony Awards Best Direction of a Musical Nominated [14]
2024 Water for Elephants Nominated [15]
Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Director of a Musical Won [16]
Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding Direction of a Musical Won [17]

References

  1. ↑ "Jessica Stone – Broadway Cast & Staff". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  2. ↑ Gans, Andrew (June 7, 2023). "2023 Tony Award Nominations: Kimberly Akimbo Leads with 11 Nominations". Playbill. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  3. ↑ Gans, Andrew (May 9, 2024). "Jessica Stone to Direct Broadway Premiere of Water for Elephants". Playbill. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Jessica Stone - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  5. ↑ Pollack, Joe. "Happy Days Here Again With 'Birdie'", St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 11, 1990, pg. 6E
  6. ↑ "B'way Grease! Closes Jan. 25 After 1501 Performances". Playbill. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  7. ↑ Brantley, Ben (May 12, 1994). "Review/Theater; 'Grease,' Memories With a New-Wave Touch". The New York Times.
  8. ↑ Green, Jesse (November 10, 2022). "Review: 'Kimberly Akimbo,' Both Great and Small, Seizes the Day". The New York Times. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  9. ↑ Holdren, Sara (March 21, 2024). "Water for Elephants Is Best When It's Behind the Times". Vulture. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  10. ↑ Oleksinski, Johnny (March 21, 2024). "'Water For Elephants' review: Awesome acrobats can't save this Broadway circus". New York Post. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Encores! High Spirits". Broadway Inbound. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  12. ↑ Gans, Andrew (May 16, 2022). "Six, Kimberly Akimbo Lead 2022 Drama Desk Award Nominations; See the Full List". Playbill. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  13. ↑ Russo, Gillian (May 17, 2022). "New York Theater Guide News | NewYorkTheatreGuide.com". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  14. ↑ "2023 Tony Awards Nominees". www.tonyawards.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  15. ↑ "2024 Tony Awards Nominees". New York Times . April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Stereophonic Leads 2024 Drama Desk Awards With 7 Wins Including Outstanding Play". Playbill. Archived from the original on August 28, 2025. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Stereophonic Leads 2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards, Wins Best Play; See the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Archived from the original on August 19, 2025. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
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