Christie Baugher

Exciting news from this proud producer!! Broadway’s Julie Benko (Funny Girl, Harmony) and Bobby Conte (Company) are set to star in upcoming NYC industry presentations of The Fitzgeralds of St. Paul, a new musical about the brilliant and tumultuous marriage of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald! Written by Christie Baugher and directed/choreographed by Danny Mefford, this beautiful new two-hander is gearing up for presentations on April 30 and May 1, with an eye toward an Off-Broadway run next season! Read all about it in Playbill here: /article/julie-benko-bobby-conte-will-star-in-the-fitzgeralds-of-st-paul-nyc-industry-presentations (Industry members interested in attending the presentations can email [email protected]!) #TheFitzgeraldsOfStPaul #JulieBenko #BobbyConte #FScottFitzgerald #ZeldaFitzgerald #MusicalTheatre #Playbill #BroadwayNews #OffBroadway #NewMusical

Well, if it’s in the paper of record, it must be real… So grateful to get to put @fitzgeraldsmusical in front of NYC again, and to get to spend some time in a room with the dream team of @jujujuliebee , @bobby_conte , @anessamarieam , @mattcastlemd , @brainstormliveentertainment and of course my beloved @dannymefford — what a dream. 4/30 and 5/1. Gimme a yell if you want to come see what we’re up to. ❤️

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“I hate a room without an open suitcase in it.” – Zelda Fitzgerald Step inside the passionate, glamorous, and often volatile world of one of the 20th century’s most famous literary couples. The Fitzgeralds of St. Paul is a captivating new musical by Christie Baugher (@timidfrieda ) that shifts the spotlight onto Zelda Fitzgerald—exploring her creative struggles, her mental health, and the legacy she could have built in a world more welcoming to female voices. With an intoxicating 1920s-infused score and showstopping performances by Julie Benko (@jujujuliebee ) and Bobby Conte (@bobby_conte ) at the recent industry reading, this is a show to keep on your radar. Tap the link in my bio to read the full feature by Matthew Wexler on 1 Minute Critic! #TheFitzgeraldsOfStPaul #ZeldaFitzgerald #FScottFitzgerald #1MinuteCritic #MusicalTheater #NewWorks #JulieBenko #BobbyConte #1920s #TheaterLife #FitzgeraldsMusical

My brilliant friend @1000tinysnips — in addition to being an amazing writer and one of the co-producers on @fitzgeraldsmusical — is a self-taught master of a centuries-old German art form called scherenschnitte, which involves making intricate art through delicate paper cutting. Hannah doesn’t know this, but I have always dreamed of commissioning something from her (and, uh, I can’t afford her — Selena Gomez commissioned something from her as a wrap gift for one of the seasons of ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING, if that gives you a sense of the level she’s rightfully on). So when she casually offered to make something for me during our rehearsals last week, I was floored. I love it so very much — all the little details (the car headed for the fireplug is my favorite) are just exquisite. She gave it to me in a little shadow box frame that photographs terribly but is so cool, changing how it looks on the wall throughout the day. It’s now in a place of honor over my piano, between the Associated Press sign that hung at my papaw’s workstation at the Courier-Journal and the Muppets taking Manhattan (as they are wont to do). Thank you, Hannah. I will treasure it forever. 💗💗💗

Here’s April (and before you ask, yes, there’s some B-roll shuffled around in there, it was, shall we say, a busy month)… #1se #1secondeveryday

❤️❤️❤️ What a week! ❤️❤️❤️ My heart is incredibly full after three sold-out industry presentations of The Fitzgeralds of St. Paul at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. To say I am blown away by the audience response would be an understatement. Huge thanks to everyone who came out to see the show and support what we are building!! This piece has always been about elevating Zelda’s narrative and finding the truth in their story – and to see it resonate so deeply is pure magic. This room was the absolute epitome of bespoke collaboration from page to stage. Thank you to the remarkably kind and talented Julie Benko and Bobby Conte for breathing such fire and humanity into these roles. To the incredible creative team: Christie Baugher (book/music/lyrics), Drama Desk Nominee Danny Mefford (director), Anessa Marie Scolpini (music director), Kate Wellhofer (stage manager), and my husband and collaborator Matt Castle (music supervisor)—your passion is the heartbeat of this show. I also want to send a massive shoutout to our band Michael Blancaflor (drums) & Matt Aronoff (bass), as well as my incredible producing team Hannah Kohl, Steven Johnston, & Adam McDowell for your unwavering support. We are building something truly special here. We couldn't have done it without the generous support of Shannon Morrison & Scott Ihrig (Drama Club Productions), Barbara Best & Steve Dwork, Bonnie Gale & Alan Christenfeld, Amy Noelle, Kathy & Tom Johnston, and Sheri & Roy Greenman. I am so incredibly excited for the future life of this piece! Stay tuned: “There's SO much Zelda left for you to know…” Tags: #JulieBenko #BobbyConte #ChristieBaugher #DannyMefford #TheFitzgeraldsOfStPaul #ZeldaFitzgerald #MusicalTheatre #BrainstormLive #OffBroadway #TheatreMakers #FitzgeraldsMusical

Forgive my jumbled thoughts; there’s far too much to say. At my one of my lowest moments as a broke unknown writer in NYC years ago, I heard Dr. Cornel West interview Stephen Sondheim on his podcast. At that point — temping at a nightmare office and living on Duane Reade brand pizza rolls that came 40 to a $2.99 bag — I found myself questioning whether the thing I’d started building my life around was worth it. In the interview, Stephen Sondheim expressed his surprise at being asked to be interviewed by someone whose work he respected and felt actually did tangible good in the world, and Dr. West responded with something to the effect of, “The work you do does such good in the world — you battle forms of spiritual poverty.” Ever since, I’ve wanted nothing more than to create something worthy of that statement. I stood in the freezing cold in a tiny churchyard in Maryland a decade ago and promised two people who died forty-ish years before I was born that I would somehow do right by them and their story. I’m not sure I’ll ever fully know if I succeeded. What I do know is this: I’ve spent the last week in the company of the most extraordinary group of artists and humans, and the thing we made together left grown men weeping and grasping my hands, utterly speechless. This is the thing I’ve wanted to do with my life since I was 12, and the reason I actually get to do it thirty years later is because I am surrounded on all sides by more kindness and grace and people who believe in me than I could ever possibly deserve. I am so grateful. And I don’t intend to stop now. I have no idea what the future holds, but I know this for sure: we’re just getting started. ❤️

At today’s @fitzgeraldsmusical band rehearsal the role of Zelda will be played by a Muppet rendering of Linda Ronstadt

that feeling when you find yourself sneaking into the Marriott Marquis 8th floor lobby bathroom for the 487th time in your life after a really affirming day and looking in the mirror and realizing that somehow, impossibly, you’re your own wildest dream come true 😭💙

My first time at Open Jar Studios and nobody warned me about the lasers that shoot right through your head, pretty weird tbh

PSA: if you start the greatest movie ever made at the beginning of a flight from L.A. to San Francisco you will get cut off right before “Good Morning” and feel cheated, tell your friends (SEE YOU SO SOON NYC!!!!)