Sep 18, 2024

Hirschfeld Broadway Tarot

Broadway has long been a spiritual experience for audiences.…now, even more so.

The Hirschfeld Broadway Tarot, just released from Running Press Studio, is the first ever tarot card set inspired by Broadway and featuring the art of Al Hirschfeld. The one-of-a kind deck has been created by author Emily McGill, a spiritual practitioner, tarot card reader, and former Broadway publicist, in collaboration with The Al Hirschfeld Foundation. The Hirschfeld Broadway Tarot can now be ordered from Running Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Bookshop and Walmart.

In her guidebook, McGill offers an interpretation and reading for the cards, each featuring beloved characters from iconic Broadway musicals, drawn by Al Hirschfeld. The Hirschfeld Broadway Tarot features West Side Story’s Maria and Tony on “The Lovers” card, Les Misérables’ Jean Valjean on the “Justice” card, and an extended dramatis personae including the likes of Sky Masterson and Sarah Brown from Guys and Dolls; Eliza Doolittle form My Fair Lady; Dolly Gallagher Levi from Hello, Dolly!; and Jud Frye from Oklahoma! Among the beloved Broadway luminaries in the deck are Stephen Sondheim, Eva Le Gallienne, Bob Fosse, Joe Papp and even Al Hirschfeld, himself.

“As a lifelong theatre kid and recent Columbia graduate with a Master’s in spiritual psychology, the opportunity to bridge two of my greatest passions has been a dream come true,” says Emily McGill, creator of The Hirschfeld Broadway Tarot and a board member of The Al Hirschfeld Foundation. “My thesis focused on tarot’s efficacy as a tool for self-reflection, and this deck is the pinnacle of that research. Tarot enthusiasts, theatre people, and Hirschfeld fans alike will find something in the cards – they never lie!”

“Hirschfeld would have undoubtedly been tickled to see his art used in this fashion,” says David Leopold, Creative Director of The Al Hirschfeld Foundation. “The Line King would surely have Emily as the wizard in his court. She has looked at all of Broadway, past and present, and like Hirschfeld, found the characters that tell the story of the tarot. The Al Hirschfeld Foundation is always open to seeing his art used in new and interesting ways, and this tarot deck certainly fits the bill.”

McGill will be a guest on the Hirschfeld Century Podcast in October. If you can't wait, listen to her interview with Variety's Gordon Cox on his podcast, Stagecraft.