Raúl Esparza Reveals Why “Galileo” Was the Right Show to Get Him Back on Broadway After a 14-Year Absence

Janey Wetzel, Alexandra SchonfeldMon, September 7, 2026 at 5:45 PM UTC

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Raúl Esparza at ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ on Broadway in June 2025Credit: Bruce Glikas/WireImage -

Raúl Esparza is returning to Broadway in Galileo, marking his first appearance on the Main Stem since 2012’s Leap of Faith

The four-time Tony nominee tells PEOPLE the new rock musical “has something to say about the way we live right now” and boasts a score that’s “nothing but bangers”

Esparza will lead a principal cast that includes Joy Woods, Jeremy Kushnier, Bradley Dean, Jordon Lee Garcia and Javier Muñoz, with Michael Park alternating as Galileo at select performances

Raúl Esparza is ready to come home.

Fourteen years after his last Broadway musical, the four-time Tony Award nominee is returning to the Main Stem this fall in Galileo, a new rock musical inspired by the life of famed astronomer Galileo Galilei and his fight to defend scientific discoveries that challenged humanity’s understanding of the world.

On paper, the battle between a Renaissance scientist and the institutions determined to silence him may seem like unlikely theatrical territory. But for Esparza, 55, it was the story’s striking contemporary resonance — coupled with a powerhouse score — that made Galileo the right show to bring him back.

“It’s thrilling,” Esparza told PEOPLE in June, while attending opening night of Mariska Hargitay’s run in Every Brilliant Thing in New York City. “It has something to say about the way we live right now. And the music is extraordinary. It’s nothing but bangers!”

Featuring a book by Emmy and Golden Globe winner Danny Strong (Chess) and an original score by Zoe Sarnak and Michael Weiner, Galileo finds the groundbreaking scientist looking to the heavens and making discoveries that put him at odds with the most powerful institution of his time.

It’s the story of “someone who found something true that changed the world and then was told by all the authorities that he was a liar,” Esparza said.

The musical also centers on Galileo’s relationships with his trusted confidant Barberini, played by stage favorite Jeremy Kushnier, and his brilliant daughter Virginia, played by Tony nominee Joy Woods. As Barberini rises to power, friendship gives way to betrayal, leaving all three to confront what they are willing to sacrifice for their beliefs, ambitions and one another.

“There are so many layers to the story that people really don’t know,” Esparza added. “I’m excited for audiences to discover them and understand this part of Galileo’s legacy in a completely different way.”

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Audiences, meanwhile, have plenty of reason to be excited about Esparza’s return, too.

Long before television audiences knew him as Rafael Barba on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Esparza established himself as one of Broadway’s most electrifying performers, earning acclaim for his powerhouse voice and commanding performances in both musicals and plays.

He made his Broadway debut as Riff Raff in the 2000 revival of The Rocky Horror Show and went on to tackle an unusually wide range of roles, from the Emcee in Cabaret and Philip Sallon in Taboo to Bobby in the 2006 revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Company. His celebrated performance in the latter earned him a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Musical, one of four nominations he received in less than a decade.

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Raul Esparza performs a number from ‘Leap of Faith’ onstage at the 2012 Tony AwardsCredit: Andrew H. Walker/WireImage

Esparza ultimately became one of the rare performers to earn Tony nominations in all four acting categories, recognized for Taboo, Company, The Homecoming and Speed-the-Plow. His most recent Broadway appearance came in 2012’s Leap of Faith, starring as con man-turned-preacher Jonas Nightingale.

In the years since, Esparza has built an extensive career on screen, with roles in Dopesick, Hannibal, A Murder at the End of the World and dozens of other projects — all in addition to years of playing D.A. Barba in over 120 episodes of the Law & Order franchise.

“It was like having an entirely different career for a while,” he tells PEOPLE. “But this is home. Broadway’s home, and I’m happy to be back.”

“There’s nothing like having an audience every night and having that communication with people and knowing that what we all made together — and that the audience made it, too,” he continued.

Raúl Esparza on ‘Law & Order: SVU’

“It’s thrilling,” Esparza said, describing the entire process as, “incredibly hard work” but “so, so rewarding.”

Returning to the demands of a Broadway musical does come with at least one unexpected perk, he joked.

“Broadway is the — the musicals especially are the best diet you’ve ever been on,” Esparza said. “You can eat anything you want.”

Esparza is already well acquainted with Galileo, having originated the title role in the musical’s 2024 world premiere at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where the production was developed prior to Broadway.

Tony winner Michael Mayer returns to direct the Broadway production, with David Neumann choreographing and Brian Usifer overseeing music supervision and orchestrations.

The show’s company has also expanded ahead of its Broadway bow. Producers announced Sept. 2 that Bradley Dean will play Bishop Grasso, Jordon Lee Garcia will make his Broadway debut as Alessandro Tarantola and Hamilton alum Javier Muñoz will play Cardinal Morosini. Grammy Award winner Michael Park will alternate in the title role at certain performances.

Esparza will join Galileo when preview performances begin on November 10, 2026 at the Shubert Theatre. Opening night is set to be December 6, 2026.

Tickets for Galileo are on sale now.

on People

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