Eden Espinosa was one of the most exciting belters to arrive on Broadway in the early 2000s. In fact, this writer still has a vivid memory of hearing the then-newcomer sing for the first time, performing a roof-raising rendition of Stephen Schwartz's The Baker's Wife anthem “Meadowlark” at Joe's Pub that garnered a thunderous ovation.
The California native subsequently went on to Broadway success in Wicked (a thrilling Elphaba), Brooklyn (has anyone ever belted higher than she in “Once Upon a Time”?), and Rent (Maureen in the original Broadway run of Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer Prize winner). In addition to her stunning vocals, Espinosa is also a passionate interpreter of lyrics, and her many talents recently brought the Broadway favorite her first Tony nomination for her performance as late painter Tamara de Lempicka in the long-gestating musical Lempicka. The new musical from Carson Kreitzer and Matt Gould picked up three Tony nominations in all, including those for co-star Amber Iman and scenic designers Riccardo Hernández and Peter Nigrini.
Espinosa—also a sublime Trina in the national tour of the Tony-nominated revival of William Finn and James Lapine’s Falsettos—finds herself nominated in the Best Leading Actress in a Musical category, which also includes Maleah Joi Moon (Hell's Kitchen), Kelli O'Hara (Days of Wine and Roses), Maryann Plunkett (The Notebook), and Gayle Rankin (Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club).
On April 30, the morning the 2024 Tony nominations were announced—and just a couple days before it was revealed that Lempicka will end its run at the Longacre later this month—Espinosa chatted with Playbill about her first Tony nomination and what playing the role of the groundbreaking painter over nine years has taught her.
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How did you find out about the nomination today?
Eden Espinosa: I was over at my besties' house, Nick Adams and Kyle Brown, and we had a little breakfast spread. We turned on CBS Mornings. We literally turned it on, and my face popped up on the screen! We didn't know they had started yet on there. I lost feeling in my hands. They were numb for about 20 minutes. [Laughs] I was there with them, and grateful to have love around me.
How does it feel to be nominated in such a jam-packed season?
It's an honor. It's an honor. I spent nine years of my life with [Lempicka]. The fact that we got to Broadway at all is the win for me. And this on top of it is just, you know, icing on the cake. It's such an abundant season with beautiful pieces. To be representing our show in this way, alongside our set designers [Riccardo Hernández and Peter Nigrini] and Amber Iman is a thrill.
You've been in the business for a while—what does it mean to you to get your first Tony nomination?
It means everything. The later part of my career I've been drawn to really, like, artistic pieces. Twenty years ago is when I originated [the title role in] Brooklyn. To have this piece come to Broadway, and to originate it, and to be recognized, is a dream. It's something you always want or hope for in your career. It honestly came at a point when in my heart and in my spirit, I didn't need it anymore—but it feels amazing to be recognized and to be honored.
Lempicka was such a complex person—I wonder what you've learned about yourself portraying her.
The beautiful thing about investing so many years in a piece is you get to come back to it at different points in your life. At this point, this iteration, at this time, for the Broadway production, the main thing that [Tamara de Lempicka] was teaching me was to take up space and don't apologize for it. I wasn't ready for that until this moment in my life. Don't apologize for wanting things, say you want it and go after it, take up the space, and don't make yourself small. That's the thing that has been really loud for me in this iteration.
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Betsy Aidem nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Betsy Aidem
Rachel McAdams nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Rachel McAdams in Mary Jane
Sarah Paulson nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Sarah Paulson
William Jackson Harper nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
William Jackson Harper in Uncle Vanya
Jeremy Strong nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Jeremy Strong in An Enemy of the People
Eden Espinosa nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Eden Espinosa in Lempicka
Maleah Joi Moon nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Maleah Joi Moon and the company of Hell's Kitchen
Gayle Rankin nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Gayle Rankin in Cabaret
Brody Grant nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Jason Schmidt and Brody Grant in The Outsiders
Dorian Harewood nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
John Cardoza, Dorian Harewood, and Ryan Vasquez in The Notebook
Will Brill nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Juliana Canfield and Will Brill in Stereophonic
Eli Gelb nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Andrew R. Butler and Eli Gelb in Stereophonic
Jim Parsons nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Jim Parsons and Celia Keenan-Bolger in Mother Play
Tom Pecinka nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Tom Pecinka and Sarah Pidgeon in Stereophonic
Corey Stoll nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Corey Stoll
Quincy Tyler Bernstine nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Amy Ryan and Quincy Tyler Bernstine in Doubt: A Parable
Juliana Canfield nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Juliana Canfield in Stereophonic
Sarah Pidgeon nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Tom Pecinka and Sarah Pidgeon in Stereophonic
Amber Iman nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Amber Iman in Lempicka
Kecia Lewis nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Kecia Lewis and Maleah Joi Moon
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer
Joshua Boone nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Jason Schmidt, Renni Anthony Magee, Daryl Tofa, Tilly Evans-Krueger, Sky Lakota-Lynch, Joshua Boone, Brent Comer, and Brody Grant
Sky Lakota-Lynch nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Sky Lakota-Lynch and Joshua Boone in The Outsiders
Daniel Radcliffe nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Lindsay Mendez, Jonathan Groff, and Daniel Radcliffe in Merrily We Roll Along
Steven Skybell nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Steven Skybell and Bebe Neuwirth in Cabaret
Bekah Brunstetter nominated for Best Book of a Musical
Joy Woods and Ryan Vasquez in The Notebook
Kristoffer Diaz nominated for Best Book of a Musical
Maleah Joi Moon, Chris Lee, and the company of Hell's Kitchen
Jocelyn Bioh nominated for Best Play
Brittany Adebumola and Dominique Thorne in Jaja's African Hair Braiding
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins nominated for Best Revival of a Play
Michael Esper, Corey Stoll, and Sarah Paulson in Appropriate
Joshua Harmon nominated for Best Play
Molly Ranson, Francis Benhamou, Nael Nacer, Aria Shahghasemi, Betsy Aidem, and Anthony Edwards
David Adjmi nominated for Best Play
Company of Stereophonic
David Byrne nominated for Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Fatboy Slim nominated for Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Arielle Jacobs and Jose Llana in Here Lies Love
Will Butler nominated for Best Orchestrations
Company of Stereophonic
Zach Chance nominated for Best Orchestrations
Jonathan Clay nominated for Best Orchestrations
Cast of The Outsiders
Shaina Taub nominated for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Shaina Taub in Suffs
Anne Kauffman nominated for Best Direction of a Play
April Matthis and Rachel McAdams in Mary Jane
Daniel Akin nominated for Best Direction of a Play
Company of Stereophonic
Lila Neugebauer nominated for Best Direction of a Play
Natalie Gold, Alyssa Emily Marvin, Ella Beatty, and Corey Stoll
Whitney White nominated for Best Direction of a Play
Nana Mensah, Dominique Thorne, and Somi Kakoma in Jaja's African Hair Braiding
Maria Friedman nominated for Best Direction of a Musical
Company of Merrily We Roll Along
Danya Taymor nominated for Best Direction of a Musical
Cast of The Outsiders
Annie-B Parson nominated for Best Choreography
Arielle Jacobs in Here Lies Love
Jeff Kuperman nominated for Best Choreography
Rick Kuperman nominated for Best Choreography
Cast of The Outsiders
Shana Carroll nominated for Best Choreography
Jesse Robb nominated for Best Choreography
The cast of Water for Elephants
dots nominated for Best Scenic Design of a Play
Michael Esper, Natalie Gold, Corey Stoll, and Sarah Paulson
Caleb Eberhardt and Victoria Pedretti in An Enemy of the People
Tatiana Kahvegian nominated for Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Cast of The Outsiders
Takeshi Kata nominated for Best Scenic Design of a Musical
The cast of Water for Elephants
Enver Chakartash nominated for Best Costume Design of a Play
Juliana Canfield in Stereophonic
David Israel Reynoso nominated for Best Costume Design of a Musical
The cast of Water for Elephants
Isabella Byrd nominated for Best Lighting Design of a Play and Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Victoria Pedretti in An Enemy of the People
Gayle Rankin and company of Cabaret
Amith Chandrashaker nominated for Best Lighting Design of a Play
Anthony Edwards
David Bengali nominated for Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Grant Gustin and the cast of Water for Elephants
Brandon Stirling Baker nominated for Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ricky Ubeda and company of Illinoise
Hana S. Kim nominated for Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Sky Lakota-Lynch and Brody Grant in The Outsiders
Stefania Bulbarella nominated for Best Sound Design of a Play
Kalyne Coleman and Maechi Aharanwa in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Leah Gelpe nominated for Best Sound Design of a Play
Lily Santiago in Mary Jane
Bray Poor nominated for Best Sound Design of a Play
Will Pickens nominated for Best Sound Design of a Play
Elle Fanning and Corey Stoll in Appropriate
Ryan Rumery nominated for Best Sound Design of a Play
Sarah Pidgeon, Juliana Canfield, and Tom Pecinka in Stereophonic
M.L. Dogg nominated for Best Sound Design of a Musical
Conrad Ricamora and the cast of Here Lies Love
Cody Spencer nominated for Best Sound Design of a Musical
Cast of The Outsiders
Nick Lidster nominated for Best Sound Design of a Musical
Eddie Redmayne and company of Cabaret
Timo Andres nominated for Best Orchestrations
Bryon Tittle, Christina Flores, Kara Chan, Ricky Ubeda, Tasha Viets-VanLear, and Shara Nova in Illinoise
Adam Blackstone nominated for Best Orchestrations
Company of Hell's Kitchen
Matt Hinkley nominated for Best Orchestrations
Cast of The Outsiders
Justin Craig nominated for Best Orchestrations
Chris Stack and Will Brill in Stereophonic