Hermitage Sunsets: “Broadway: Off and On”
From the bright lights of Broadway to the bold and innovative work of Off-Broadway, returning Hermitage Fellows Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer and Bess Wohl have left an indelible mark on the American theater scene. From Kritzer’s powerhouse vocals and comedic timing to Wohl’s gift for hilarious and incisive observation of the human experience, these two Tony Award nominees are two of the most in-demand artists of stage and screen. Join Kritzer and Wohl for the latest “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” program to take a look back, a look forward, and hear some of the music and words that have fueled both of their remarkable careers.
Returning Hermitage Fellow Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer is a 2024 Tony Award Nominee for her showstopping turn as ‘Lady of the Lake’ in the Broadway revival of Spamalot. She previously starred on Broadway as Delia in Beetlejuice, for which she received Drama Desk, Drama League, and Chita Rivera Award nominations. Additional Broadway credits include Something Rotten!, Elf, Sondheim on Sondheim, Legally Blonde, A Catered Affair (Drama Desk nomination) and Hairspray. Off-Broadway: The Robber Bridegroom (Lucille Lortel Award and Drama League Award), Gigantic (Lortel nomination), ROOMS: A Rock Romance (Outer Critics Circle nomination), and others. She can be heard on several original casting recordings. TV: “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (as Carol Burnett in the Series Finale) “The First Lady,” “Bridge & Tunnel,” “New Amsterdam,” “Difficult People,” “Kevin Can Wait,” “Younger,” “Vinyl,” and “Law & Order.” Sarasota audiences have previously seen Leslie perform alongside Andy Sandberg in the Hermitage 20th Anniversary Concert (Van Wezel Hall), on the Hermitage Beach sharing her original writing, and at the 2023 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner, and the 2024 Hermitage Artful Lobster. @LeslieKritzer
Returning Hermitage Fellow Bess Wohl’s plays include Liberation (Roundabout Theater Company; developed at the Hermitage), Camp Siegfried (Second Stage Theater; developed at the Hermitage), Grand Horizons (Tony Award Nomination for Best Play; Outer Critics Circle Honor, Drama League Award nom.), Make Believe (NY Times Critics’ Pick, Best of 2019, Outer Critics Circle Honor), Continuity, Small Mouth Sounds (John Gassner Outer Critics Circle Award, top ten lists in The New York Times, The New York Post, The Guardian, and others), American Hero, Barcelona, Touched, In, Cats Talk Back, and the musical Pretty Filthy, with composer/lyricist Michael Friedman and The Civilians (Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk nominations for Outstanding Musical). Her plays have been produced or developed at theaters in New York and around the country, including Second Stage, Roundabout Theater, Manhattan Theater Club, Ars Nova, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Goodman Theater, Geffen Playhouse, People’s Light, Pioneer Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Northlight Theater, TheaterWorks New Works Festival, PlayPenn, and the NY International Fringe Festival (Award for Best Overall Production). She is a graduate of Harvard and the Yale School of Drama.