Company, Follies, Evita, The Phantom of the Opera, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd. These popular Broadway shows and iconic sets will be seen like never before in the new pop-up installation opening September 17, 2021 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in Lincoln Center, thanks to artist Henry Lee of Lego Broadway Sets. Brick By Brick, Putting It Together: The Broadway Set Miniatures of Henry Lee showcases Lee's intricate, miniature reimaginings of set designs built with LEGO® bricks.
The six set models will be complemented with archival materials from the Library's collections related to each show. Boris Aronson's original Broadway and touring set models for Company, A Little Night Music, and Follies will all be displayed next to Lee's renditions. This will mark the first time both Company set models will be on view together. The installation will also feature video footage from the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive (TOFT), and set pieces from Evita and Sweeney Todd, as seen in Prince of Broadway. Photographs from the Billy Rose Theatre Division's unparalleled photography collection will also illustrate how the sets came to life on stage.
Many of the archival materials on display will give visitors an opportunity to see selections from In the Company of Harold Prince: Broadway Producer, Director, Collaborator, which the Library closed early in March of 2020 due to the pandemic.
"Lego Broadway Sets was founded as my love letter to the American musical," said Lee, "a heartful homage to iconic productions embodied through a popular, and most importantly, accessible medium during a time when theatre artists like myself had virtually no creative outlets. To now be collaborating with the world-renowned Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in creating this incredible multimedia installation celebrating my absolute favorite works and creatives of all time is an unbelievable honor and privilege. The six shelf-size 'micro modular' LEGO models displayed in Brick by Brick, Putting It Together collectively make up The Harold Prince Collection, a loving tribute piece to the monumental theatrical pioneer and legend, created as a unique and exclusive collectible-esque set to celebrate the first anniversary of Lego Broadway Sets in May of this year."
"I loved watching Henry's set designs become an online sensation early in the pandemic," said Doug Reside, Lewis and Dorothy Cullman Curator of the Billy Rose Theatre Division, "not only for their playful take on Broadway sets, but because inspiring creativity is part of the Library for the Performing Arts' mission, and Henry's sets are so creative. It is an absolute pleasure to display his works here at the Library alongside the materials that inspired him, and a delightful opportunity to welcome visitors back into our space."
Henry Lee (he/him) is a multi-hyphenate actor/singer currently pursuing his BFA in Music Theatre Performance (minor in dance) from Western Michigan University (graduating summer 2023). Recent theatre credits include Hal in Lys, Franz/Lee Randolph in Sunday in the Park with George (WMU), and The Man in the Yellow Suit in Tuck Everlasting (dir. Joe Barros, Southeastern Summer Theatre). Alongside performing, Lee enjoys directing, designing, and teaching theatre, currently serving as teaching artist at the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre. He is the proud founder and creator of Lego Broadway Sets. In the music world, he has appeared in major choral concerts throughout Asia alongside notable contemporary composers such as Christopher Tin (the Civilization series). Instagram: @legobroadwaysets
