Peter Gennaro

Peter Gennaro (November 23, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was an American dancer and choreographer born in Metairie, Louisiana. He made his Broadway debut as an ensemble performer in Make Mine Manhattan in 1948, the same year he appeared in Kiss Me, Kate and married his wife, Jean Kinsella, whom he had met while working in Chicago. His early Broadway career continued with Arms and the Girl and Guys and Dolls, both in 1950.

Gennaro's work as a performer brought him increasing recognition through two particular numbers. In 1954, he was part of the trio that executed Bob Fosse's "Steam Heat" in The Pajama Game, a sequence that drew significant attention from audiences. Two years later, he partnered with Judy Holliday in the "Mu Cha Cha" number from Bells Are Ringing, further establishing his reputation as a distinctive stage presence.

His transition from performer to choreographer came in 1957 with West Side Story, on which he collaborated with Jerome Robbins. Gennaro choreographed the majority of the "America" and "Mambo" dance sequences without receiving formal credit. He returned to West Side Story as co-choreographer for its 1964 and 1980 revivals. His subsequent choreography credits on Broadway include Fiorello! (1959), The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1960), Mr. President (1962), Bajour (1964), Jimmy! (1969), Irene (1973), and Little Me (1982). He also staged the London productions of Bar Mitzvah Boy (1978) and Singin' in the Rain (1983), as well as One Night Stand (1980), Carmelina (1979), Threepenny Opera (1989), and the 1997 revival of Annie.

Annie, which opened in 1977, represented the peak of Gennaro's award recognition. The production earned him both the Tony Award for Best Choreography and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography. He received additional Tony nominations for his choreography on Fiorello!, Bajour, Irene, and Little Me, and was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Theatre Choreographer for Annie in 1999.

Beyond Broadway, Gennaro maintained an active television career, appearing in and choreographing for Your Hit Parade, The Andy Williams Show, Judy Garland's CBS variety program, and the Kraft Music Hall. He appeared as a guest with his dance troupe on Ed Sullivan's CBS Sunday night variety program on dozens of occasions and was a member of the repertory company on the CBS variety series The Entertainers (1964–1965), which also featured Carol Burnett, Bob Newhart, John Davidson, and Ruth Buzzi. For many years he also served as choreographer for Radio City Music Hall, where he staged routines for The Rockettes.

Gennaro and his wife Jean raised two children while living for a time in Paramus, New Jersey. Their daughter, Liza, is a dancer and choreographer who serves as Dean of Musical Theatre at Manhattan School of Music. Their son Michael is the Executive Director of Trinity Repertory Company and previously held executive director positions at both the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and the Paper Mill Playhouse. Gennaro died in New York City on September 28, 2000, at the age of 80, survived by his wife and both children. He was inducted posthumously into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 2002.