EPISODE 398 - GORDON GREENBERG


Gordon Greenberg has directed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in London’s West End, written for television and stage, and developed, directed and produced new works for arts institutions across America.

Current Directing/Writing projects include The Heart of Rock and Roll , which opens on Broadway at the James Earl Jones Theatre in April, 2024, following its record breaking run at The Old Globe, the hit Off-Broadway show Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors (Director & Co-Writer, with Steve Rosen, New World Stages & podcast starring John Stamos, Laura Benanti, & Annaleigh Ashford), a new musical about Picasso (directing & co-writing with Stephen Schwartz & Caridad Svich), the NBC television series Most Talkative (Co-Executive Producer/Writer, NBC, Blumhouse, Andy Cohen), Crime and Punishment, A Comedy (directing & co-writing with Steve Rosen) for the Old Globe, a London revival of The Baker’s Wife (Menier Choclate Factory, 2024), Single White Female (A.T.G.), The Wedding Banquet (Ang Lee, Hua Musicals, Taiwan), Ghost Tour, The Play, and the new comedy podcast series Rolling Calls starring Julie Halston & Richard Kind (co-writer, Steve Rosen).

His acclaimed revival of Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf starring Calista Flockhart and Zachary Quinto at the Geffen Playhouse won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Best Revival. Variety called it “Inspired”, the L.A. Times called it “Unerringly good…Qunto & Flockhart expose something infinitely fragile in Edward Albee’s shatterproof play”, Entertainment Weekly called it “A riveting production…brilliantly staged by Gordon Greenberg”, and the Wall Street Journal called it Intriguing…Here, unusually, there is the suggestion that the oncoming dawn may truly presage a fragile new beginning.”

Other work includes the North American premiere of Piaf/Dietrich for Mirvish in Toronto (Dora Award, Best Production), Barnum (Menier Chocolate Factory, London), The Secret Party: Jacques Brel 1968 (Das Vindobona, Vienna, Austria), Secret of My Success for Universal Pictures Stage Productions, and Ebenezer Scrooge’s Big [Your Town Here] Christmas Show! in its third season at the Old Globe (co-writer Steve Rosen.)

His West End revival of Guys and Dolls was nominated for six Olivier Awards at the Savoy Theatre and then transferred to the Phoenix Theatre (starring Rebel Wilson.) The New York Times’ Ben Brantley called it "Pure, unforced pleasure...a boozy, bawdy party". The Guardian's Michael Billington called it 'An expert revival...delivered with grace and elan,' the Evening Standard said 'This unstoppable hit keeps getting better and better...Gordon Greenberg's delicious production of Frank Loesser's classy classic once again boasts chemistry in all the right places', The Telegraph’s Charles Spencer wrote, "I left the theater walking on air and with a grin of pure happiness on my face," and The London Times’ Dominic Maxwell wrote, "Gordon Greenberg's production leaves the whole audience purring with pleasure."

Greenberg co-wrote and directed the Broadway stage adaptation of Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn at Studio 54 for Roundabout Theatre Company, Universal Pictures Stage Productions, and PBS Television's Great Performances. In its review, Variety said “Holiday inn, the 1942 film, has gotten a complete and first-class stage redo...Director Gordon Greenberg and co-writer Chad Hodge have significantly rethought, reshaped and revitalized the script, giving the show more heart, a modern sensibility and a joyful spirit." Deadline called it "An endorphin assault, inducing warm bath pleasure like no other show since 42nd Street," The Hollywood Reporter called it "Pure joy," and the Star Ledger said "Directed with generosity and warmth, it wears down all defenses." 

Other directing work includes the revisal of Working (Drama Desk Award, adapted with Stephen Schwartz and Lin-Manuel Miranda), Jacques Brel…(Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Award noms), Terms of Endearment with Alfred Molina & Calista Flockhart (Geffen Playhouse for Greg Berlanti), the stage adaptation of Tangled (Disney), Johnny Baseball (Williamstown), Stars of David by Jeanine Tesori, Tom Kitt, Tony Kushner (Daryl Roth), Pirates! (created with Nell Benjamin, Huntington, Paper Mill, Goodspeed, MUNY), Band Geeks! (also co-writer, Goodspeed, NEA grant), The Baker’s Wife (Paper Mill, Goodspeed), 1776 (Paper Mill), Floyd Collins (Signature), the Klezmer-Rock reimagining of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Yentl (Asolo Rep), Blue Sky Boys by Deborah Breevort (Capital Rep.), the professional premiere of Edges The Musical (Capital Rep.), the acclaimed reimagining of Jesus Christ, Superstar starring Billy Porter (Helen Hayes, St. Louis MUNY), the U.S. national tour of Guys & Dolls, Disney’s Believe, the Disney Fantasy Christening (with Neil Patrick Harris & Jerry Seinfeld), West Side Story (MUNY, Circle Award nom), Happy Days, A New Musical (Paper Mill, Goodspeed, U.S. National Tour), Vanities, A New Musical (Theatreworks Palo Alto - San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Award), We The People (Lucille Lortel Theatre & Paper Mill Playhouse), Rags (Roundabout, workshop), and the all-female workshop of Man of La Mancha (Mirvish, Toronto),

Other writing work includes, for television, Herbie Rebooted for Disney, Emerald City Music Hall, an original movie musical for Nickelodeon Television and Scramble Band, an original movie musical for the Disney Channel, The Single Girls Guide (co-writer Tommy Newman) for Dallas Theatre Center, Ars Nova, Capital Rep, the podcast Theatre Camp (with Jonathan Marc Sherman) for Sirius XM, Killing Time (with Steve Rosen), an At Home Play Commission from The Old Globe, and the new book of Meet Me In St. Louis for the St. Louis MUNY's 100th Anniversary.