Itamar Moses

Last updated
Itamar Moses
Education Yale University (BA)
New York University (MFA)
Genre Drama
Notable worksCompleteness (2011)
Fortress of Solitude (2014)
The Band's Visit (2016)
The Ally (2024)
Notable awards Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (2018)

Itamar Moses (born 1977) is an American playwright, author, producer and television writer. He gained acclaim for writing the book for the Broadway musical The Band's Visit (2017) receiving the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. He wrote the play Completeness (2011) earning a nomination for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play. He wrote books for the musicals Nobody Loves You (2012), and Fortress of Solitude (2014). His latest play The Ally (2024) about a college teacher teacher conflicted about signing a petition debuted at The Public Theatre.

Contents

Moses started his television career writing for the TNT comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age (2010–2011), and the HBO drama series Boardwalk Empire (2011), the later of which earned him nominations for two Writers Guild of America Awards. He also served as a writer and producer for the WGN drama series Outsiders in 2017 and the Showtime drama series The Affair from 2018 to 2019.

Early life and education

Moses grew up in a Jewish family [1] in Berkeley, California, earned his bachelor's degree at Yale University, and his Master of Fine Arts degree in dramatic writing from New York University. He has taught playwriting at both Yale and New York University.

Career

Moses wrote the play Completeness (2011) which premiered at the South Coast Repertory Theatre before transferring to Playwrights Horizons, New York City. [2] The play revolves around young people, in the Computer Science and Biology Departments of a university, talking about love, molecular biology and computer science, while going through a variety of partners. [3] Bob Verini of Variety in a mixed review praised his writing declaring, "[Moses] writes Completeness for both genders — quite well, too — with an unexpectedly fine ear for contempo sexual politics’ dizzying conversational loops". [4] The play went on to receive a nomination for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play. [5] He has written for the TNT comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age (2010–2011) and HBO drama series Boardwalk Empire (2011), the latter of which earned him nominations for two Writers Guild of America Awards.

In 2014 he wrote the book to the musical The Fortress of Solitude with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman. The musical premiered at The Public Theatre starring Adam Chanler-Berat, Andre de Shields, Brian Tyree Henry, and Rebecca Naomi Jones. [6] The musical is a coming-of-age story about teenagers in 1970s Brooklyn. [7] Marilyn Stasio of Variety praised the production but questioned its Broadway potential writing, "Is there an audience for this extraordinary show? Yes. Is there a Broadway audience? Maybe not" she added, "Make no mistake about it; this is no nostalgia piece, but the tragedy of friends who lost touch with one another and the music they grew up with." [8]

His most prominent work, the musical The Band's Visit, opened on December 8, 2016 at the Atlantic Theater Company. [9] That production won the 2017 Obie Award for Musical Theatre Off-Broadway. [10] After closing on January 9, 2017, the musical moved to Broadway. [11] It began previews on October 7, 2017 and officially opened on November 9, 2017 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. For his work on The Band's Visit , Moses won the 2018 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical.

In 2024 Moses wrote the comedy-drama The Ally starring Josh Radnor as a Jewish college professor who deals with the moral quandary of being asked to sign a petition involving the denouncement of the state of Israel. The play was originally conceived during the Obama years and was slated to premiere in 2020 but was halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The production directed by Lila Neugebauer has received positive reviews with Sara Holdren of Vulture praising the performances and writing adding, "Pulsing ominously at the heart of The Ally is a question — a truly frightening one for artists, for scholars, for critics — about the more perilous face of nuance." [12] In a mixed review from Jesse Green of The New York Times he wrote that while "Moses’s play offers eloquent arguments on all sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict" it lacks certain narrative stakes adding, "I felt the need for more wisdom than craft". [13]

Works

Theatre

YearTitleRoleVenueRef.
2001Dorothy and AlicePlaywrightShort play at Manhattan Theatre Source [14]
2002Bach at LeipzigPlaywrightHangar Theatre in Ithaca, New York [15]
2003OutragePlaywright Portland Center Stage [16] [17]
2005Authorial Intent / IdeaPlaywrightManhattan Theatre Source, New York [18]
2006Celebrity RowPlaywright Portland Center Stage [19]
2007The Four of UsPlaywright San Diego Old Globe Theatre [20]
2007SzinhazPlaywrightDuke Theater, New York City [18]
2008YellowjacketsPlaywright Berkeley Repertory Theatre [21]
2008Back Back BackPlaywrightSan Diego Old Globe Theatre [19]
2009Love/Stories (Or, But You Will Get Used to It)PlaywrightFlea Theater, New York City [18]
2011CompletenessPlaywrightSouth Coast Repertory Theatre [22]
2011 Playwrights Horizons, New York City [23]
2012Nobody Loves YouBook bySan Diego Old Globe Theatre [24]
2013Second Stage Theatre [25]
2014 The Fortress of Solitude Book by The Public Theater, New York City [26]
2016 The Band's Visit Book by Atlantic Theatre Company, New York City [27]
2017 Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway [28]
2022 Donmar Warehouse, West End [29]
2024 Dead Outlaw Book by Minetta Lane Theatre, New York City [30]
2024 The Ally Playwright The Public Theatre, New York City [31]

Television

YearTitleWriterProducerNotesRef.
2010–2011 Men of a Certain Age YesNoWriter 2 episodes [32]
2011 Boardwalk Empire YesNoWriter 12 episodes [33]
2017 Outsiders YesYesWriter 2 episodes; Co-producer 5 episodes [34]
2018–2019 The Affair YesYesWriter 2 episodes; Consulting producer 7 episodes [35]
2020 Brave New World NoYesConsulting producer 2 episodes [36]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.
2012 Writers Guild of America Awards Dramatic Series Boardwalk Empire Nominated [37]
Episodic Drama Nominated
2012 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Play CompletenessNominated [38]
2017 New York Drama Critics Circle Best Musical The Band's Visit Won [39]
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Book of a MusicalNominated [40]
Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding MusicalWon [41]
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Book of a Musical Nominated [42]
2018 Tony Award Best Book of a Musical Won [43]
Drama League Award Outstanding Production of a MusicalWon [44]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drama Desk Award</span> New York theater awards

The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Following the 1964 renaming as the Drama Desk Awards, Broadway productions were included beginning with the 1968–69 award season. The awards are considered a significant American theater distinction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chita Rivera</span> American actress, dancer and singer (1933–2024)

Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero, known professionally as Chita Rivera, was an American actress, singer, and dancer. Rivera received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, and a Drama League Award. She was the first Latina and the first Latino American to receive a Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. She won the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Radnor</span> American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

Joshua Thomas Radnor is an American actor, filmmaker, author, and musician. He is best known for portraying Ted Mosby on the Emmy Award–winning CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014). He made his writing and directorial debut with the 2010 comedy drama film Happythankyoumoreplease, for which he won the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.

David Norman Yazbek is an American writer, musician, composer, and lyricist. He wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals The Full Monty (2000), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2005), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (2010), The Band's Visit (2017), and Tootsie (2019). His most recent projects include the musicals Dead Outlaw and Buena Vista Social Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">André De Shields</span> American entertainer (born 1946)

André Robin De Shields is an American actor, singer, dancer, director, and choreographer. He has received numerous accolades including an Emmy Award, Grammy Award, and Tony Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. T. Rogers</span> American dramatist (born 1968)

J. T. Rogers is an American playwright. He is best known for his play Oslo (2016) about the 1990s Oslo Peace Accords between Israel and Palestine. The play received widespread acclaim as well as the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Obie Award for Best Play. He is also known for his plays Madagascar (2004),The Overwhelming (2006), Blood and Gifts (2010), and Corruption (2024).

The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Foundation, with additional support from the Theatre Development Fund.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Timbers</span> American writer and director

Alex Timbers is an American writer and director best known for his work on stage and television. He has received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Drama Desk Award, as well as nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Grammy Award. Timbers received the Drama League Founder's Award for Excellence in Directing and the Jerome Robbins Award for Directing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tina Landau</span> American playwright and theatre director (born 1962)

Tina Landau is an American playwright and theatre director. Known for her large-scale, musical, and ensemble-driven work, Landau's productions have appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally, most extensively at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago where she is an ensemble member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Friedman</span> American actor (born 1949)

Peter Friedman is an American stage, film, and television actor. He made his Broadway debut in the Eugene O'Neill play The Great God Brown in 1972. His other Broadway credits include roles in The Rules of the Game (1974), Piaf (1981), The Heidi Chronicles (1989), and Twelve Angry Men (2004). He earned a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical nomination for his role as Tateh in Ragtime (1998).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Cromer</span> American actor and director

David Cromer is an American theatre director, and stage, film, and TV actor. He has received recognition for his work on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in his native Chicago. Cromer has won or been nominated for numerous awards, including winning the Lucille Lortel Award and Obie Award for his direction of Our Town. He was nominated for the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for his direction of The Adding Machine. In 2018, Cromer won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for The Band's Visit.

John Michael Friedman was an American composer and lyricist. He was a Founding Associate Artist of theater company The Civilians.

Pam MacKinnon is an American theatre director. She has directed for the stage Off-Broadway, on Broadway and in regional theatre. She won the Obie Award for Directing and received a Tony Award nomination, Best Director, for her work on Clybourne Park. In 2013 she received the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for a revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? She was named artistic director of American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, California on January 23, 2018.

Amy Herzog is an American playwright. She is known for her poignant and character-driven plays that explore themes of family dynamics, personal relationships, and the complexities of human experience. She has received a Drama Desk Award as well as a nomination for a Tony Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Chavkin</span> American theatre director

Rachel Chavkin is an American stage director best known for directing the musicals Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812 and Hadestown, receiving nominations for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for both and winning for Hadestown in 2019.

<i>The Fortress of Solitude</i> (musical) Musical by Michael Friedman

The Fortress of Solitude is a musical with music and lyrics written by Michael Friedman, and a book by Itamar Moses adapted from The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem.

Gloria is a dramatic comedy written by playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins focusing on the lives of working Americans and dynamics in the workplace. The play made its debut Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre in May 2015, after being developed by the same theatre. It was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

<i>The Bands Visit</i> (musical) Musical

The Band's Visit is a stage musical with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Itamar Moses, based on the 2007 Israeli film of the same name. The musical opened on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in November 2017, after its off-Broadway premiere at the Atlantic Theater Company in December 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katrina Lenk</span> American actress

Katrina Lenk is an American actress, singer, dancer, musician, and songwriter.

The Ally is a play by the American playwright Itamar Moses, which revolves around a Jewish college professor who initially agrees to sign a student's manifesto address with police brutality until he sees language in the document criticizing Israel using language that he is uncomfortable with, ultimately forcing him to question his identity and faith. The play premiered Off-Broadway in February 2024 at the Anspacher Theatre at The Public Theater. The play was directed by Lila Neugebauer and stars Josh Radnor.

References

  1. ↑ Bloom, Nate (June 7, 2018). "The Jews go to the Tonys, 2018 — including Berkeley's own Ari'el Stachel". J. J. The Jewish News of Northern California.
  2. ↑ "NYC Premiere of Completeness, About Lovesick Science Nerds, Opens Sept. 13". Playbill. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Review: Completeness by Itamar Moses, Directed by Pam MacKinnon at Playwrights Horizons". Let's Talk Off Broadway. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  4. ↑ "March 9, 2024".
  5. ↑ "2012 Drama Desk Award Winners Announced". TheaterMania. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  6. ↑ "The Verdict: Critics Review the New Musical The Fortress of Solitude at The Public". Playbill. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  7. ↑ Staff. "The Verdict: Critics Review the New Musical 'The Fortress of Solitude' at The Public" playbill.com, October 23, 2014
  8. ↑ "Off Broadway Review: 'Fortress of Solitude'". Variety. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  9. ↑ Atlantic Theater Company, https://atlantictheater.org
  10. ↑ "2017 | Obie Awards". www.obieawards.com. Archived from the original on 2017-03-15.
  11. ↑ Pipenberg, Erik "The Bands Visit to Open on Broadway", The New York Times, May 24th, 2017
  12. ↑ "In The Ally, Impossible Conversations We're All Having". March 9, 2024.
  13. ↑ "'The Ally' Review: Social Justice as a Maddening Hall of Mirrors". March 9, 2024.
  14. ↑ The Nutshell Festival
  15. ↑ Itamar Moses (2008). Bach at Leipzig. Samuel French, Inc. ISBN   978-0-573-65144-1 . Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  16. ↑ Itamar Moses (2008). Outrage. Samuel French, Inc. ISBN   978-0-573-65145-8 . Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  17. ↑ some sources (like ) report the world premiere at Bloomington Playwrights Project in February 2001, however, the published play contradicts that on page 3 in the Billing and Credit Requirements.
  18. 1 2 3 Itamar Moses (29 April 2010). Love/Stories (Or, But You Will Get Used to It): Five Short Plays. Northwestern University Press. ISBN   978-0-8101-2691-6 . Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  19. 1 2 Itamar Moses (7 July 2009). Back Back Back; Celebrity Row; Outrage: Three Plays. Macmillan. ISBN   978-0-86547-905-0 . Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  20. ↑ Itamar Moses (28 February 2009). The Four of Us. Samuel French, Inc. ISBN   978-0-573-69649-7 . Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  21. ↑ "Itamar Moses Goes Back to High School for World Premiere, Yellowjackets". Playbill. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Itamar Moses' Completeness, a Romance of Science Nerds, Opens in World Premiere April 22". Playbill. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Completeness". Playwrights Horizons. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  24. ↑ Saenger, Diana (2012-05-24). "Reality TV rocks in Nobody Loves You at The Old Globe". La Jolla Light. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  25. ↑ Isherwood, Charles (2013-07-18). "Prime-Time Heartache". New York Times . Retrieved 2014-07-10.
  26. ↑ "Public Theater listing for Fortress of Solitude". Public Theater.
  27. ↑ "The Band's Visit". Atlantic Theater. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  28. ↑ "The Band's Visit (Broadway, 2017)". Playbill. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  29. ↑ "The Band's Visit Ends Run at London's Donmar Warehouse December 3". Playbill. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  30. ↑ "Dead Outlaw". Audible Theatre. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  31. ↑ "The Ally". Publictheater.org. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  32. ↑ "Itamar Moses". Tisch.ny. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  33. ↑ "Award Winning Playwright Itamar Moses". WSBT. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  34. ↑ "An Interview with Tony Award-Winning Playwright Itamar Moses". DC Theatre Arts. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  35. ↑ "The Ally: Josh Radnor and Playwright Itamar Moses in Conversation with SiriusXM's Jessica Shaw". 92NY. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  36. ↑ "Itamar Moses". IMDB. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  37. ↑ "Itamar Moses - Awards". IMDB. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  38. ↑ "The 57th Annual Drama Desk Awards". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  39. ↑ "The Band's Visit and Oslo Win 2017 Drama Critics' Circle Awards". Playbill. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  40. ↑ "Outer Critics Circle Nominations: 'Anastasia,' 'Hello, Dolly!' Lead the Pack (Full List)". Playbill. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  41. ↑ "Ben Platt, The Band's Visit, and Oslo Take Top Honors at 2017 Lucille Lortel Awards". Playbill. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  42. ↑ "Drama Desk Awards 2017: Bette Midler, 'Oslo' Take Top Honors (Full List)". Variety. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  43. ↑ "Tony Award Winners 2018: The Complete List". Variety. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  44. ↑ "Drama League Awards 2018 - And the Winners are..." New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.