Mae Jemison, Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson join producing team of Broadway’s ‘Galileo’

Three leading voices in science education have joined the upcoming Broadway premiere of “Galileo” as co-producers: astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison, scientist and television host Bill Nye and astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. This marks the first Broadway producing credit for all three. 

They join the musical’s producing team, led by Amanda Lipitz, Henry Tisch and Jordan Roth. With a book by Danny Strong and a score by Zoe Sarnak and Michael Weiner, “Galileo” follows the titular astronomer as he champions the heliocentric model of the solar system and challenges the Catholic Church’s strongly held belief that the sun revolves around the Earth.

A former NASA astronaut, Jemison was the first woman of color in space and has been involved in the production for months. “Long before I went into space, dance, science, the arts and the stars above were major focal points of my life,” said Jemison in a statement. “Taking dance classes at Alvin Ailey while earning my MD at Cornell Medical School, I realized that both science and dance were outlets for impacting the world around me. For me, science provides an understanding of a universal experience, and the arts provide a universal understanding of a personal experience. And that is why I could not be more excited to join this team. Galileo’s story is both universal and personal. This new musical showcases the science and history, while also revealing the humanity behind it.”

“Galileo changed our understanding of our place in space as well as our fundamental grasp of our understanding of the way things move in nature,” said Nye, best known as a science educator, specifically the co-creator and host of the series “Bill Nye the Science Guy.” Nye also serves as the chief ambassador and vice chair of the board of directors of the Planetary Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to science education and space exploration advocacy. He added, “This show celebrates his spirit of inquiry, discovery and critical thinking.”

“[Galileo is] a stark reminder that what is discovered to be objectively true in the universe is not always welcomed by cultural, political, or religious dogma,” commented Tyson, who is director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History. He has advised the U.S. government on space exploration and served on NASA’s advisory council. Tyson continued, “I am proud to be a part of this effort to bring Galileo’s story to life. Society needs it now more than ever.”

“Galileo” will begin previews on Nov. 10 and officially open at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre on Dec. 6. The new musical stars Raúl Esparza as Galileo Galilei, Joy Woods as his daughter, Virginia, and Jeremy Kushnier as Bishop Maffeo Barberini.