Michael Greif (born ca. 1960 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American stage director. He has won three Obie Awards and received five Tony Award nominations, for Rent, Grey Gardens, next to normal (sic), Dear Evan Hansen, and Hell's Kitchen.
Aug 3 2023Career
Greif attended Northwestern University2 and graduated from the University of California, San Diego graduate directing program. He was the Artistic Director of the La Jolla Playhouse, LaJolla, California from 1994 to 1999.3
He was an Artistic Associate at the New York Theatre Workshop where he directed, among others, Bright Lights, Big City (1998–99) and the original production of Rent4 for which he received the Obie Award for direction of a musical5 and which he later directed on Broadway.
Greif has directed several original Broadway musicals and been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical four times. In addition to Rent, his Broadway credits include If/Then (also at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C.), Next to Normal (also at Second Stage Theatre and Arena Stage), Grey Gardens (also at Playwrights Horizons), Dear Evan Hansen (also at Arena Stage and Second Stage),67 and War Paint (also at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago).8
In August 2023, it was announced that his Chicago Shakespeare Theater production of The Notebook would transfer to Broadway in March 2024 and in September 2023, it was announced that he would transfer his Off-Broadway production of Days of Wine and Roses to Broadway in January 2024.910
Among his many directing credits Off-Broadway are Alicia Keys' autobiographical musical Hell's Kitchen,11 Katori Hall's Our Lady of Kibeho, John Guare's Landscape of the Body and A Few Stout Individuals at Signature Theatre,12 Beauty of the Father for the Manhattan Theatre Club,13 the 2009 Playwrights Horizons production of Mrs. Sharp (with music and lyrics by Ryan Scott Oliver and starring Jane Krakowski), and Romeo and Juliet, The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest at the New York Shakespeare Festival at the Delacorte Theater (2007, 2010, 2015).14
Personal life
Grief has two children, born through artificial insemination with a lesbian friend. His long-time partner is actor Jonathan Fried.15
Work
Broadway
- Rent (1996)
- Never Gonna Dance (2003)
- Grey Gardens (2006)
- Next to Normal (2009)
- If/Then (2014)
- Dear Evan Hansen (2016)
- War Paint (2017)
- Days of Wine and Roses (2024)
- The Notebook (2024)
- Hell's Kitchen (2024)
Off-Broadway
New York Theatre Workshop- 70 Scenes of Halloween (1986)
- Rent (1996)
- Bright Lights, Big City (1998)
- Cave-Dweller (2002)
- Machinal (1990)
- A Bright Room Called Day (1991)
- Casanova (1991)
- Pericles (1992)
- Marisol (1994)
- Dogeaters (2001)
- Satellites (2006)
- The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide... (2010)
- Giant (2012)
- The Low Road (2018)
- Hell's Kitchen (2023)
- A Few Stout Individuals (2002)
- Landscape of the Body (2006)
- Angels in America (2010)
- Spatter Pattern (2004)
- Grey Gardens (2006)
- Far from Heaven (2013)
- Spike Heels (1993)
- Next to Normal (2008)
- Boy's Life (2011)
- Dear Evan Hansen (2016)
- Days of Wine and Roses (2023)
La Jolla Playhouse
- The Three Cuckolds (1986)
- What the Butler Saw (1992)
- Thérèse Raquin (Neal Bell adaption of Zola) (1994)
- Slavs! (Tony Kushner) (1995)
- Faust (Randy Newman) (1995)
- Boy (Diana Son) (1996)
- Sweet Bird of Youth (1999)
- Our Town (2001)
Williamstown Theater Festival
- Thérèse Raquin (1994)
- The Seagull (1995)
- Tonight at 8.30 (2001)
- Strew Scene (2002)
- Once in a Lifetime (2003)
- Landscape of the Body (2004)
- The Cherry Orchard (2005)
- Three Sisters (2008)
- Far from Heaven (2011)
Guthrie Theater
- The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures (Tony Kushner) (2009)16
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Rent | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Grey Gardens | Nominated | |||
| 2009 | Next to Normal | Nominated | |||
| 2017 | Dear Evan Hansen | Nominated | |||
| 2024 | Hell's Kitchen | Nominated | |||
| 1991 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Director of a Play | Machinal | Nominated | |
| 1996 | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Rent | Nominated | ||
| 2001 | Outstanding Director of a Play | Dogeaters | Nominated | ||
| 2007 | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Grey Gardens | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | Drama League Award | Founders Award for Excellence in Directing | Won | ||
| 2006 | Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Grey Gardens | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Dear Evan Hansen | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | Lucille Lortel Award | Outstanding Director | Nominated | ||
External links
- Michael Greif at the Internet Broadway Database
- Michael Greif at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Biography, Playbill
- [permanent dead link] Credits at Broadway.com
- Biography as of November, 2006 at the American Theatre Wing
References
Welsh, Anne Marie, "New York and family call Michael Greif home", The San Diego Union-Tribune, October 10, 1999, p.E-1 ↩
Welsh, Anne Marie, "New York and family call Michael Greif home", The San Diego Union-Tribune, October 10, 1999, p.E-1 ↩
Horwitz, Simi."Michael Greif Exits La Jolla", reprint from Backstage in allbusiness.com, October 9, 1998 http://www.allbusiness.com/services/amusement-recreation-services/4588142-1.html ↩
Archives, New York Theatre Workshop nytw.org, accessed May 8, 2009 http://www.nytw.org/production_archives.asp ↩
Obie Award for 1996 Archived 2013-05-30 at the Wayback MachineVillage Voice, accessed May 8, 2009 http://www.villagevoice.com/obies/search ↩
Marks, Peter. "'Dear Evan Hansen': Original story, high hopes for Benj Pasek and Justin Paul","The Washington Post", July 10, 2015 https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/benj-pasek-and-justin-paul-swing-for-the-fences-with-dear-evan-hansen/2015/07/09/50f59f48-219c-11e5-aeb9-a411a84c9d55_story.html ↩
Clement, Olivia (March 26, 2016). "Pasek and Paul's 'Dear Evan Hansen' Bows in New York". Playbill. http://www.playbill.com/article/dear-evan-hansen-begins-tonight-com-383684# ↩
Gans, Andrew. "Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole Apply War Paint, Starting Tonight", playbill.com, June 28, 2016 http://www.playbill.com/article/patti-lupone-and-christine-ebersole-apply-war-paint-starting-tonight ↩
White, Abbey (2023-08-03). "'The Notebook' Musical to Open on Broadway in March 2024". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-09-15. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/the-notebook-musical-broadway-march-2024-1235550169/ ↩
Wild, Stephi. "Kelli O'Hara and Brian d'Arcy James Will Lead DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES on Broadway Next Year". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-09-13. https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Kelli-OHara-and-Brian-dArcy-James-Will-Lead-DAYS-OF-WINE-AND-ROSES-on-Broadway-Next-Year-20230913 ↩
Paulson, Michael (2023-06-01). "Alicia Keys Is Making a Musical. Her Own Life Inspired the Story". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-15. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/01/theater/alicia-keys-musical-hells-kitchen.html ↩
Listing Archived 2008-08-28 at the Wayback Machine signaturetheatre.org, accessed May 8, 2009 http://www.signaturetheatre.org/perform.htm ↩
Hoffman, Jan.Directing in Every Direction at Once",The New York Times, December 18, 2005 https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/18/theater/newsandfeatures/18hoff.html ↩
Brantley, Ben. "Rash and Unadvis’d in Verona Seeks Same",The New York Times, June 25, 2007 https://theater2.nytimes.com/2007/06/25/theater/reviews/25bran.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss ↩
‘’New York Times Profile’’accessed 07-01-24 https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/18/theater/newsandfeatures/directing-in-every-direction-at-once.html ↩
Gans, Andrew."Kushner's The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide Begins Guthrie Run May 15", playbill.com, May 15, 2009; NY Premiere: March 23-June 12, 2011 at NY Public Theater http://www.playbill.com/news/article/129234 ↩