Julie Benko, Bobby Conte Will Star in The Fitzgeralds of St. Paul NYC Industry Presentations | Playbill
Readings and Workshops

Julie Benko, Bobby Conte Will Star in The Fitzgeralds of St. Paul NYC Industry Presentations

Written by Christie Baugher, the musical is planning an Off-Broadway premiere for later this year.

April 09, 2026 By Logan Culwell-Block

Julie Benko (Michaelah Reynolds)

Brainstorm Live Entertainment will hold industry presentations of the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald biomusical The Fitzgeralds of St. Paul April 30 and May 1 in NYC. Danny Mefford (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) is directing and choreographing.

Julie Benko (Ragtime) and Bobby Conte (Company) will star in the two-hander. Benko has been developing the musical for some time, singing on the project's first single, "I'll Be Here," which released last year.

The work, which features a book, music, and lyrics by Christie Baugher, centers on the marriage of the Great Gatsby author and his wife, Zelda, as they struggle with addiction, mental illness, and jealousy.

Producers are hoping to give the show an Off-Broadway premiere next season. The musical received a preview production at Buffalo, New York's Irish Classical Theatre Company last year. Mefford directed and choreographed, and will continue with the project.

“It’s an absolute joy to finally get to share The Fitzgeralds of St. Paul with New York!,” says Baugher in a statement. "The show has been a real labor of love for our team for many years, and I can’t wait for you to see and hear it exquisitely rendered by Julie Benko and Bobby Conte, two of the most thrilling voices in American musical theatre. We need big complex stories full of heart now more than ever, and I hope you’re as moved and transported by the story of these two beautiful, infuriating, and brilliant people as I am.”

Visit FitzgeraldsMusical.com. Industry members interested in attending the upcoming presentations can email [email protected].

Shows mentioned in this article