{"id":49020,"date":"2025-03-19T12:12:36","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T16:12:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=49020"},"modified":"2025-05-02T09:32:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T13:32:10","slug":"koenig-producer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/koenig-producer\/","title":{"rendered":"Producer Alum Sees the Performing Arts as a Potent Force for Good"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">Peggy Koenig \u201978 helped bring the <em>Real Women Have Curves <\/em>musical\u2014and its topically relevant themes\u2014to Broadway<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-cornell-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-93654f3ad82cd5ee335fb5107dfe26dc\"><em>\u201cBear Hugs\u201d celebrates heartwarming stories of Cornellians on the Hill and around the world. Have an idea? Email us at <a href=\"&#109;&#x61;il&#x74;&#x6f;&#x3a;&#x63;orn&#101;&#108;&#108;i&#x61;&#x6e;&#x73;&#64;&#99;&#x6f;r&#110;&#x65;&#x6c;&#108;&#46;&#x65;&#x64;&#117;\">&#x63;&#x6f;r&#x6e;&#101;l&#108;ia&#110;&#x73;&#64;&#x63;&#x6f;&#114;&#x6e;&#101;&#x6c;l&#x2e;&#x65;&#100;&#x75;<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s note: On May 1, nominations for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tonyawards.com\/nominees\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">78th annual Tony Awards<\/a> were announced, including two for <\/em>Real Women Have Curves<em>: Justina Machado for best performance by an actress in a featured role and Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez for best original score.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>Joe Wilensky<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">It\u2019s the summer of 1987, and 18-year-old Ana\u2014having grown up under the roof of her immigrant parents in East L.A.\u2014yearns to spread her wings and attend college in NYC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>But when her family\u2019s garment business receives a make-or-break order\u2014two weeks to complete 200 dresses\u2014Ana finds herself trying to balance her own ambitions, her mother\u2019s expectations, and the needs of a community of determined women, many of whom are undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s the plot of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realwomenhavecurvesbroadway.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Real Women Have Curves<\/em><\/a>, a musical that begins previews on Broadway on April 1. It\u2019s based on both the 1993 play by Josefina L\u00f3pez and the hit film, starring America Ferrera, that it inspired a decade later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s funny, it\u2019s joyous, it\u2019s uplifting,\u201d says Peggy Koenig \u201978, one of the musical\u2019s producing partners.<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/pls-crop-to-vertical_PhotobyMichaelahReynolds_EDIT-004-A-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Peggy Koenig \u201978\" class=\"wp-image-48992 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/pls-crop-to-vertical_PhotobyMichaelahReynolds_EDIT-004-A-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/pls-crop-to-vertical_PhotobyMichaelahReynolds_EDIT-004-A-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/pls-crop-to-vertical_PhotobyMichaelahReynolds_EDIT-004-A-768x961.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/pls-crop-to-vertical_PhotobyMichaelahReynolds_EDIT-004-A-1228x1536.jpg 1228w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/pls-crop-to-vertical_PhotobyMichaelahReynolds_EDIT-004-A-632x790.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/pls-crop-to-vertical_PhotobyMichaelahReynolds_EDIT-004-A-316x395.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/pls-crop-to-vertical_PhotobyMichaelahReynolds_EDIT-004-A-280x350.jpg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/pls-crop-to-vertical_PhotobyMichaelahReynolds_EDIT-004-A-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/pls-crop-to-vertical_PhotobyMichaelahReynolds_EDIT-004-A-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/pls-crop-to-vertical_PhotobyMichaelahReynolds_EDIT-004-A-400x500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/pls-crop-to-vertical_PhotobyMichaelahReynolds_EDIT-004-A-200x250.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/pls-crop-to-vertical_PhotobyMichaelahReynolds_EDIT-004-A-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/pls-crop-to-vertical_PhotobyMichaelahReynolds_EDIT-004-A.jpg 1259w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Michaelah Reynolds<\/figcaption><figcaption>Peggy Koenig \u201978.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s about friendship, community, and family\u2014which, to me, are the meaning of life\u2014and how the undocumented women are able to navigate their challenges and the fact that they could be deported.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>It\u2019s about friendship, community, and family\u2014which, to me, are the meaning of life.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>A former Cornell trustee, Koenig has found a calling as a producer of Broadway-bound plays and musicals that, she says, leverage the performing arts to \u201ctell stories about people, themes, and ideas that expand the way that we think about the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Koenig is chair emeritus of the private equity firm Abry Partners, where she formerly was co-CEO and managing partner. She served on the University\u2019s board for 12 years and currently chairs the advisory board for the <a href=\"https:\/\/publicpolicy.cornell.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brooks School of Public Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Scene from a dance rehearsal of \u201cReal Women Have Curves\u201d preparing for its Broadway debut\" class=\"wp-image-48995\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tatianna-Cordoba-and-Mason-Reeves-1-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Michaelah Reynolds<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">All smiles during a dance rehearsal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2018, she enrolled as a fellow in Harvard\u2019s Advanced Leadership Initiative, then took a producing course through the Broadway League, which fueled her pivot into the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She founded Black Cap Productions as a vehicle for both investing in and developing shows that combine social impact with storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m the granddaughter of a Jewish immigrant who\u2014because of his courage, bravery, and vision to look for something better\u2014was able to come to this country to seek a better life,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/RWHC_BoxOffice_AveryBrunkus_52_RT-A-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Florencia Cuenca (\u201cEstela\u201d in the \u201cReal Women Have Curves\u201d production) poses in front of the theater in NYC on its box office opening day in March\" class=\"wp-image-48993 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/RWHC_BoxOffice_AveryBrunkus_52_RT-A-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/RWHC_BoxOffice_AveryBrunkus_52_RT-A-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/RWHC_BoxOffice_AveryBrunkus_52_RT-A-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/RWHC_BoxOffice_AveryBrunkus_52_RT-A-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/RWHC_BoxOffice_AveryBrunkus_52_RT-A-632x790.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/RWHC_BoxOffice_AveryBrunkus_52_RT-A-316x395.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/RWHC_BoxOffice_AveryBrunkus_52_RT-A-280x350.jpg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/RWHC_BoxOffice_AveryBrunkus_52_RT-A-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/RWHC_BoxOffice_AveryBrunkus_52_RT-A-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/RWHC_BoxOffice_AveryBrunkus_52_RT-A-400x500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/RWHC_BoxOffice_AveryBrunkus_52_RT-A-200x250.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/RWHC_BoxOffice_AveryBrunkus_52_RT-A-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/RWHC_BoxOffice_AveryBrunkus_52_RT-A.jpg 1260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Avery Brunkus<\/figcaption><figcaption>Cast member Florencia Cuenca in front of the theater during the show&#8217;s box office opening day festivities.<\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>\u201cI think that\u2019s one of the reasons I\u2019ve so strongly gravitated toward themes of inclusion and belonging.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of Koenig\u2019s early investments were in the Broadway productions of the Tony-nominated <em>What the Constitution Means to Me<\/em> and <em>The Inheritance, <\/em>an award-winning reimagining of E.M. Forster\u2019s <em>Howards End<\/em> set during the AIDS crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She\u2019s a lead producer of the dance musical <em>Bhangra Nation<\/em> (which has had productions in La Jolla, CA, and Birmingham, UK); she has also invested in <em>The Bedwetter<\/em>, a musical based on the memoir by comedian Sarah Silverman that had a Washington, DC, run in early 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>One of Koenig\u2019s first development projects was to turn a book she\u2019d optioned\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucpress.edu\/books\/lives-in-limbo\/paper\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Lives in Limbo<\/em><\/a>, which follows 150 undocumented young adults in L.A. over a 12-year period\u2014into a musical. (The project is ongoing.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGetting to Broadway is like winning an Olympic gold medal\u2014it\u2019s that hard,\u201d she says, noting that shepherding a show from development to the Great White Way can take five to 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Real Women<\/em> has made it there\u2014with opening night at the James Earl Jones Theatre set for April 27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Getting to Broadway is like winning an Olympic gold medal\u2014it\u2019s that hard.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>When the show had its world premiere in 2023\u201324 at the American Repertory Theater at Harvard, one critic raved that it \u201czips along infectiously, energized by a compelling storyline, plenty of laughs, some delightful twists, and a musical score that features several songs that \u2026 are destined to become hits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like that production, the Broadway incarnation is directed and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, a Tony and Olivier award winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The cast includes Justina Machado, who has appeared in numerous movies and TV shows (including starring in Netflix\u2019s reboot of the sitcom \u201cOne Day at a Time\u201d) as well as Broadway\u2019s <em>In the Heights<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Sergio Trujillo, director and choreographer of the \u201cReal Women Have Curves\u201d musical, addresses the company before a rehearsal\" class=\"wp-image-48994\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Sergio-Trujillo-center-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Angela Marie Orellana<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Trujillo addresses the company.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The show&#8217;s lead producers include some big names in the business\u2014Barry and Fran Weissler, who&#8217;ve backed such Tony winners as <em>Waitress<\/em>, <em>Pippin<\/em>, and <em>Chicago<\/em>\u2014as well as the actor Jack Noseworthy, known for numerous movie and TV roles including in <em>Event Horizon<\/em> and <em>Killing Kennedy<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou need to entertain your audience; you have the music and the humor,\u201d Koenig observes. \u201cBut this show can also shed a light on people who are doing a job that they have great pride in and that contributes to society. It can say: \u2018These women are human. These women have agency. These women have power.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Top: A scene from the American Repertory Theater\u2019s 2023\u201324 run of <\/em>Real Women Have Curves.<em> (Nile Hawver \/ Maggie Hall)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Published March 19, 2025; updated May 2, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator aligncenter has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Peggy Koenig \u201978 helped bring the Real Women Have Curves musical\u2014and its topically relevant themes\u2014to Broadway<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":48991,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[33165,29610,31009],"footnotes":""},"categories":[652],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-49020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-hugs"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - 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