Diary
Three Questions For: Sam Pinkleton
Photo: Hunter Abrams
Introducing a new Ursula feature, in which we cross-examine some of our favorite cultural figures.
Favorite post-show haunt for a cocktail? And what’s the cocktail?
As an aging showgirl, I’d be arrested if my answer wasn’t Bar Centrale on W 46th St. It’s the only place I’ve ever seen Liza Minnelli in the wild. Hendrick’s Gin Martini very cold, very dry with a twist. If you’re going to poison yourself, make it count.
Is there a visual artist you love?
I am evangelical about Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt and pretty much every other gay guy who was making things in the East Village in the ’80s... I also just saw the Petrit Halilaj show at the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin and it made me love theater again, which was confusing.
What’s “on the slab” these days?
In London right now seeing if British people will laugh (TBD) at Oh, Mary! and directing The Rocky Horror Show on Broadway at Studio 54 in the spring. Gulp. Otherwise, I’m nurturing a very beloved new musical called Ceilidh, rooted in traditional Scottish social dance which will premiere in Scotland in the summer... I think group social dances can bust fascism, so I’m doubling down on my obsession.
Jane Krakowski as Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary! , now running in London’s West End at the Trafalgar Theatre through April 2026. Photo: Emilio Madrid
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Sam Pinkleton is a theater director, choreographer and gay person. He most recently won a Tony Award for directing Cole Escola’s Oh, Mary!, which is currently running on Broadway and in London’s West End. Other work as a director includes Josh Sharp’s Ta-Da! (Greenwich House), Morgan Bassichis’ Can I Be Frank? (Soho Playhouse), You Will Get Sick (Roundabout), Untitled DanceShowPartyThing (Virgin Voyages), Elizabeth Swados’ Runaways (City Center Encores/Public Theater), The Wizard of Oz (ACT), Head Over Heels and La Cage Aux Folles (Pasadena Playhouse). As a choreographer his work includes Stephen Sondheim’s final musical Here We Are (The Shed/The National Theater) and seven Broadway shows including Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (Tony Nomination). Film/TV: Dying For Sex, The End (with Tilda Swinton). Upcoming: The Rocky Horror Show (Studio 54/Broadway), Ceilidh.