Christopher Gattelli is an American choreographer, performer and theatre director.

Early life and career

Gattelli grew up in

Bristol, Pennsylvania Bristol is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northeast of Center City Philadelphia, opposite Burlington, New Jersey on the Delaware River. It antedates Philadelphia, being settled in 1681 and first incorpora ...

. He started dancing at the age of 11 and is a "Star Search" Grand champion.Gattelli biography
feldentertainment.com, retrieved December 29, 2009 As a performer, he appeared in ''

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' may refer to: * ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' (book), a 1952 book written by Shepherd Mead and the inspiration for the musical of the same name. * ''How to Succeed in Bu ...

'' (Revival) and the role of Pouncival in '' Cats''.

Choreographer

Gattelli has choreographed several special benefit concerts, including ''

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

'' (2003), '' Hair'' (also co-director, Actor's Fund, 2004), and "Chance and Chemistry: A Centennial Celebration of Frank Loesser" (also directed, Actors Fund, October 2009). His work as choreographer for

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

includes ''Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me'' (2006), '' High Fidelity'' (2006), '' The Ritz'' (2007), '' Sunday in the Park with George'' (Revival, 2008), ''South Pacific'' (2008), '' 13'' (2008), "Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," "Godspell," ''Newsies'' (2012), and the 2015 revival of ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the chil ...

''."Christopher Gattelli Broadway"
ibdb.com, accessed September 17, 2015 His Off-Broadway choreographic work includes ''Adrift in Macao'' (2007, also Philadelphia, PA 2005), ''How to Save the World and Find True Love in 90 Minutes'' (also director, 2006), ''

I Love You Because ''I Love You Because'' is a musical set in modern-day New York. It is based on Jane Austen's novel ''Pride and Prejudice''. It features lyrics by Ryan Cunningham, set to music by Joshua Salzman. Production history Cunningham and Salzman first met ...

'' (2006), ''Altar Boyz'' (2005), ''tick, tick...BOOM,'' ''Dogfight'' and ''Bat Boy: The Musical'' (2001). In regional theatre he is the choreographer for ''

The Baker's Wife ''The Baker's Wife'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and the book by Joseph Stein, based on the 1938 French film of the same name by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono. The musical premiered in the West End in 1989 for a shor ...

'' (

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey on the Rahway River. Due to its relatively close location to Manhattan, it draws from the pool of actors (and audience members) who live i ...

Millburn, New Jersey Millburn is a suburban township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's population was 20,149, reflecting an increase of 384 (+1.9%) from the 19,765 counted in the 2000 Census, which had ...

, 2005), ''Tom Jones'' (2004), '' tick, tick...BOOM!'' (2004, also London Fringe, 2005), ''Me and My Girl,'' and ''O. Henry's Lovers'' (Goodspeed Opera House, 2003). He directed Jim Henson's ''

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas ''Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas'' is a 1977 television special directed by Jim Henson, based on the 1971 children's book of the same name by Russell Hoban. The special features an ensemble cast of Henson's Muppet characters as well as chara ...

'' at The

Goodspeed Opera House Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. A distinctive feature of the view from the Connecticut River, th ...

, Connecticut in 2008, and choreographed Julie Andrews' ''The Great American Mousical'' there in 2012. His production of ''The Jungle Book'' played the Goodman Theatre and Huntington Theatre Company in 2013. He is the director of the musical spoof '' SILENCE! The Musical'', which ran in 2005 at NYCFringe and is scheduled to open in London in January 2010. Other West End and London credits include ''South Pacific'' and ''Sunday In the Park With George.''"'In Your Arms'"
broadwayworld.com, 2015 He is in charge of musical staging for '' Little Miss Sunshine''. He collaborated with Stephen Flaherty on the world premiere of ''In Your Arms,'' which he directed and choreographed for the New York Stage and Film's Powerhouse Theater at Vassar in 2014. He is directing and choreographing ''In Your Arms'' for a production at the

Old Globe Theatre The Old Globe is a professional theatre company located in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It produces about 15 plays and musicals annually in summer and winter seasons. Plays are performed in three separate theatres in the complex, which i ...

in September 2015. Gattelli directed and choreographed the Spring 2014 lab of RKO's ''

Top Hat A top hat (also called a high hat, a cylinder hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat for men traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditional ...

'' in New York. This is a new version of the 2011 stage version that ran in London and the UK, and is being worked on by Gatelli and Chad Beguelin. The production "is still several seasons off", according to Gatelli in January 2017. His choreography can also be seen in the Coen brothers feature ''Hail Caesar!''. He was the resident choreographer for ''

The Rosie O'Donnell Show ''The Rosie O'Donnell Show'' is an American daytime variety television talk show created, hosted, and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It premiered on June 10, 1996, and concluded after six seasons on May 22, 2002. This talk sh ...

''.

Awards

Gattelli was nominated for the

Tony Award for Best Choreography The Tony Award for Best Choreography is awarded to acknowledge the contributions of choreographers in both musicals and plays. The award has been given since 1947, but nominees were not announced until 1956. Winners and nominees 1940s 1950s ...

for '' South Pacific'' and won the award in 2012 for '' Newsies''. His ''Newsies'' choreography also won him the Outer Critics Circle Award. He won the Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Choreography for ''

Altar Boyz ''Altar Boyz'' is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker and book by Kevin Del Aguila (based on an idea by Marc J. Kessler and Ken Davenport). Centering on a fictitious Christian boy band from Ohio, the ...

.'' He won the

Lucille Lortel Award 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 Theatre ...

for Outstanding Choreographer for ''Altar Boyz'' and '' Bat Boy: The Musical''.

Personal life

He is openly gay.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gattelli, Christopher American choreographers Living people LGBT choreographers Gay entertainers Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century LGBT people Tony Award winners