DAVID BARRINEAU

In preparation of their move to the Belasco Theatre, Sarah Paulson and the cast gathered for a family portrait. Legendary Mark Seliger shot the group, as well as, solo set-ups.

Entering the world of Harry Potter is a privilege few muggles are ever allowed. So capturing various cast members from the Broadway production was a true honor. Not only did I learn a new word (cape-ography), but I even got to try casting my patronus. Yep, that last photo is me working the wand!

And even better, since Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has become a long-running hit, I’ve been able to photograph new casts over the years. Most recently, working as always with the marvelous Matt Murphy, we were able to shoot new production photography. Normally, this is done during a performance and you have little control over what’s captured. However, in this case, we did set-ups, which allowed us to make adjustments (such as tweaking actor positions, adjusting lighting and even maximizing fire effects).

Set in the slick “Mad Men” era 1960’s, How to Succeed… featured a large cast of well-know actors over its long run (Daniel Radcliffe, Darren Criss and Nick Jonas). And since it had such a healthy run, we got to shoot the multiple casts – each "Finch" having his own color palette and bow tie.

Take Me Out is the story of famous baseball who decides to live his truth and publicly come out. Many of the scenes take place in the locker room as he deals with his teammates’ reactions to his news. The play uses nudity to heighten the tension between him and the other players. For this revival of the Tony Award-winning Best Play, Second Stage Theater wanted to prepare audiences for the frank subject matter, but we also knew that presenting this highly attractive cast in states of undress was a valuable selling point. I consider that a “win-win.”

Schedule-wise, it was a very busy shoot: 11 cast members/17 set-ups, as well as shooting motion capture and cast interviews. But with a strong producing team and a fantastic/infallible photographer, Matthew Murphy, we came away a ton a great (and very sexy!) photos.

The Met is one of the grandest and most prestigious museums in the world. As such, becoming a member can seem a little intimidating for casual attendees. There’s an impression that the membership of The Met were older, white people from the UES. This was a challenge we tackled head on. We wanted all people and ages to feel welcome and comfortable; as if The Met was their home-away-from-home.

This two-day shoot featured a diverse cast of over a dozen models in set-ups that featured both the grandeur of The Met, as well as the intimacy that can be found when engaging with their vast collection.

I wanted the photos to feel like candid photos of real people – not people posing for selfies. So, I created character backstories for each model to give them context (“a family from the West Side that comes to The Met as a way to reconnect,” “a gay couple sharing the wonders of the world with their son,” etc.).

We shot the first day when the museum was closed to the public (and, yes, it’s a thrilling privilege to be able to wander the spaces without crowds). On the second day, the museum was open and shooting with the general public added a whole other set of challenges.

Something that happened on-set leads me to believe we’re on the right track with these photos. A young, black man watched as we were photographing two black women (“a grandmother regularly brings her granddaughter to the museum as their special time together”). When he found out this was for a new membership campaign, he said that he was a member and that “this was exactly the kind of photos The Met should be using!”

Sylvia is A.R. Gurney's spin on the classic "boy meets girl" comedy – except in this case the "girl" is a dog...and portrayed by the very human Annaleigh Ashford. Much of the show's humor comes from Gurney treating Sylvia as if she is a playful young woman. And while she doesn't wear a dog costume, I was able to sneak a dog collar into the shoot.

The Broadway production also starred Matthew Broderick as a man who in the midst of a mid-life crisis decides to adopt Sylvia and Julie White as his non-pet friendly spouse. 

As Mamma Mia! entered its second decade, the advertising moved away from the iconic bride illustration to photos of the sexy cast of 25 in full-on party mode. 

While Renée Fleming is considered one of the greatest opera divas of all-time, what's not as well know is how funny she is. The shoot for this screwball comedy allowed her send up the white tie world of classical music with some classic bad behavior. She gamely jumped into the fray, slinging champagne all afternoon.

Note: no animals were harmed or intoxicated during the course of this shoot. Unless you consider happily lapping up chicken broth out of a champagne glass to be intoxication. In that case, then Trixie is a lush. 

This Pulitzer Prize-winning musical told the story of a bi-polar woman and her family.

To capture the right balance of “keeping it together while you’re losing it,” the actors went through an extreme range of emotions.

The sparkles in their eyes are real tears. If you look closely, you can see tear tracks on Alice Ripley’s cheek (not surprisingly, she went on to win a Tony Award for her performance in the show). 

These powerful portraits were later used – 8 feet high – on the exit doors of the theatre.

This was by far the most powerful photo shoot I’ve ever handled. Working with these phenomenal actors and photographer Evan Kafka was a true privilege. 

This was a high-energy shoot! When Tina, The Musical reopened after the pandemic hiatus, we wanted to launch with a bold new image. Inspired by iconic photographs of Tina Turner from the 60’s, we turned to photographer Pari Dukovic. Pari is known for his electric portraits of recording artists such as Lady Gaga and Lizzo. Our Tina, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, hit the stage and magic was made. So much so, that the photos were previewed exclusively by People magazine and later used for London's West End production.

This was definitely a shoot to remember.

The kids were so excited they were meeting Santa Claus – and in June, no less. So much so, they were actually a bit starstruck and it took a little time for them to loosen up. In any case it certainly meant that they were on their best behavior. 

Working with the Rockettes was also particularly memorable. Their precision is staggering; making subtle adjustments down to a fraction of an inch.

And then there was the time we shot the Rockettes on the subway...

Second Stage Theatre is one of the premiere non-profit theatre companies in New York City. Being a non-profit necessitated them (and us) working on a limited budget, while not skimping on style and the end product. To this end, we sometimes coordinated photo shoots in rehearsal rooms, empty conference rooms, even in a board member’s bedroom.

Using a clean, almost presentational aesthetic, these “captured moments” invite the audience into the world of the play.

When Disney wanted a high-energy campaign that featured the athleticism of Newsies’ young cast, we turned to premiere dance photographer, Lois Greenfield. Even in the confines of a small studio space, the guys soared through the air.

Whether it’s a floating scarf or multiple exposures, when possible I prefer for the photographer to capture effects in-camera, rather than adding them later in post-production. I find it brings an added excitement to the shoot. Also, the actors seem to get excited by the challenge.

Shooting 10 cast members (both solos and a group shot) in a short period of time was certainly a challenge, but this cast of pros got the job done in a breeze.

Case in point: you’d never have known that Jim Parsons had come straight from the airport having taken the red-eye the night before.

Honestly, I was a little nervous going into this shoot, as there was a lot going on: the shot list was incredibly ambitious (seven productions were to be captured — each with numerous set-ups involving a few dozen dancers), since one of the photographers also performed as Mowgli, two different photographers were being used (requiring different equipment setups), oh, and did I mention that this was being shot during the pandemic following proper protocols? And…guess what? It all went off without a hitch and it turned out to be one of my favorite days on set! Go figure.

What’s cuter than a bunch of giggling little girls? A bunch of giggling little girls and an adorable dog.

Okay, I’ll confess: I don’t usually post raw, unretouched photos here. But there’s something about the behind-the-scenes aspect of these shots that I really love. We really captured a 1930s, coming to the Big Apple to make their dreams come true vibe, which was the heart of this love letter to New York musical. Besides, the cast still look phenomenal and ultimately required very retouching.

Edge is New York City’s most exciting new destination—an outdoor observation deck 100 stories above Hudson Yards. Working with a photographer in a helicopter to capture the building was as thrilling as the 360° views from the deck. If you look very closely, I’m one of the specks on the deck.

With leads as attractive as Laura Osnes and Corey Cott, you're obviously going to get beautiful photos. But for this new musical about a group of World War II vets putting their lives back together by forming a swing band, we needed photos as rich and passionate as the story. 

New York City is as much a character as any of the people inhabiting the world of In Transit. As such, it only made sense to take to the streets and capture the cast moving through the city. In order to maximize the day (and the client's budget), we shot guerrilla-style on the streets making sure to choose a location that offered a wide variety of backgrounds. Ultimately, we shot 12 cast members in 25 different set-ups within a 2-block radius – in only 8 hours.

Set in th 1980’s, The Heart of Rock and Roll is a new musical comedy inspired by the songs of Huey Lewis and the News. It’s the story of Bobby who by day works in a box factory (because it’s “hip to be square”) and at night dreams of becoming a rock star. We shot in a Brooklyn dive bar, but I glammed up the final images to give them a rock fantasy retro vibe.