JERRY MITCHELL (Director/Choreographer) is currently represented on Broadway as the Director of the Gloria Estefan bio-musical, On Your Feet, having previously received TONY Awards in recognition of his choreography for the 2013 TONY-Award winning Best Musical, Kinky Boots, for which he was also nominated as Director and the 2005 revival of La Cage Aux Folles. He was nominated for an Olivier Award for his choreography in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which he also directed and co-produced in the West End. In the 35 preceding years, Jerry has been involved with over 50 Broadway, Off-Broadway, West End and touring productions, starting as a dancer for Agnes De Mille in Brigadoon and thereafter assisting Michael Bennett and Jerome Robbins. His Broadway debut as Choreographer, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, was followed by The Full Monty (TONY nomination), The Rocky Horror Show, Hairspray (TONY nomination), Gypsy (starring Bernadette Peters), Never Gonna Dance (TONY nomination), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (TONY nomination), Imaginary Friends, Legally Blonde (TONY nomination), which he also directed, Catch Me If You Can and Kinky Boots (also currently running in London, Australia, Japan, Korea and on a U.S. tour, with Germany up next.) He also choreographed both
the Off-Broadway productions and films of Hedwig & The Angry Inch and Jeffrey, the National Tour of Jekyll & Hyde, Paper Mill Playhouse’s critically acclaimed Follies, featuring Ann Miller and Love Never Dies, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to his Phantom of the Opera, for the West End and supervised the Broadway production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Jerry’s memorable film work includes In and Out, Scent of a Woman, Jeffrey, Drop Dead Gorgeous and Camp. For television, he recently choreographed the NBC live production of Hairspray, as well as several seasons of The Rosie O’Donnell Show, was nominated for an Emmy for his choreography created for The Drew Carey Show, was featured as the host of Step It Up and Dance and appeared in his role as Director/Choreographer of Legally Blonde in The Search for Elle Woods and of Peepshow in Ice Loves Coco.
Jerry expanded his activities as a theatre producer by forming a partnership with one of the most active and respected West End producers and theatre owners, Ambassador Theatre Group, with the goal of developing musicals for the West End and Broadway stages. Twenty-seven years ago, Jerry conceived and created Broadway Bares, a comedy burlesque show performed annually for the charity Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. He continues to serve as Executive Producer of Broadway Bares, with a book, website and satellite productions in Fire Island Pines, Las Vegas (Peepshow, which enjoyed a five-year run of continuous performances) and London (West End Bares).
Most recently, Jerry received the Drama League’s Founders’ Award for Excellence in Directing and the George Abbott Lifetime Achievement Award from his peers, the latter being especially meaningful to him in that he was directed by the 96 year old Mr. Abbott in the Broadway revival of On Your Toes.
A native of Paw Paw, Michigan, Jerry attended Webster Conservatory in St. Louis, from which he received an Honorary Doctorate.
Little Known Fact: His Broadway burlesque show has raised over 17 million dollars for Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS.