'La La Land' Stage Musical Taps Choreography Designer, 59 Studio as Production Designer

The stage adaptation of La La Land has completed its creative team with two people who helped shape the look and movement of the 2016 hit film: choreographer Mandy Moore and costume designer Mary Zophres have signed on. Studio 59 has also joined as production designer, the Tony Award-winning […]

The upcoming stage musical adaptation of La La Land has rounded out its creative team with two of the people who helped shape the look and feel of the 2016 hit: choreographer Mandy Moore and costume designer Mary Zoffers.

Also joining the team as production designer is Studio 59, the Tony-winning studio that created the visual effects for Stranger Things: The First Shadow, among other credits. Edward Pierce will serve as a design associate alongside 59 Studio.

Lionsgate and producers Mark Platt announced the hires today, joining previously announced director Bartlett Sher, book writers Ayad Akhtar and Matthew Dekker, and composer Justin Horowitz, with lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

In a statement today, the producers credited Moore and Zofers with creating the film's "memorable dance sequences" and "distinctive, color-driven costume design." Watch on Deadline

A three-time Emmy winner, Moore choreographed So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars and Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. Zophers is a four-time Oscar nominee, most recently for Babylon.

Studio 59's set design credits include The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Kelly (with Sher and Moore), The Last Ship of Sting (2026 World Tour), Stranger Things: The First Shadow, An American in Paris and War Horse. The studio has also created works for the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. The studio is now an affiliate of Journey, an experience agency combining design, storytelling and technology.

"La La Land has always been about the marriage of music, movement and visual storytelling, and by reuniting Mandy Moore and Mary Zoffers alongside the talented artists of Studio 59, we're celebrating what audiences love about the film while finding new ways to present its love and romantic life," Jennifer Brown, head of global products and experiences, Lionsgate, said in a statement.

Based on the 2016 film written and directed by Damien Chazelle, La La Land follows an aspiring actress and a jazz musician as they pursue their dreams in Los Angeles. The film won six Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Actress, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song.

The stage adaptation of La La Land is produced by Platt and Lionsgate Global Products & Experiences.

More details, including cast, performance dates and venue information, will be announced in the coming months.

Today's announcement by Lionsgate follows last week's news that the studio will bring a Dirty Dancing to Broadway for the first time. Other projects in development or currently in development from the studio include the upcoming Broadway production of Now You See Me Live, The Hunger Games: On Stage in its second year in London, and a stage adaptation of The Housemaid.

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