Jack O'Brien | |
|---|---|
_in_2024.jpg) O'Brien receivingSpecial Tony Award 2024 | |
| Born | (1939-06-18)June 18, 1939 (age 86) Saginaw, Michigan, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupations | Director, producer, writer and lyricist |
| Years active | 1965–present |
Jack O'Brien (born June 18, 1939) is an American director, producer, writer and lyricist.[1] He served as the Artistic Director of theOld Globe Theatre in San Diego, California from 1981 through the end of 2007.[2]
O'Brien has won threeTony Awards and been nominated for seven more, and won five Drama Desk Awards. He has directed and produced musicals, includingThe Full Monty andHairspray, contemporary dramas such asThe Piano Lesson,The Invention of Love andThe Coast of Utopia,Shakespeare classics, includingHamlet andHenry IV (a combination ofPart 1 andPart 2), andoperas, includingIl trittico at theMetropolitan Opera.
O'Brien was born inSaginaw, Michigan and attended theUniversity of Michigan (M.A. 1962)[3] where he was a member ofDelta Tau Delta International Fraternity. He began onBroadway at theLyceum Theatre as assistant director of revivals ofYou Can't Take It with You (1965–67) andThe Cherry Orchard (1968), and in a number of other shows, also sometimes contributing additional lyrics to songs. He began directing at theOld Globe Theatre in San Diego, California with Shakespeare'sThe Comedy of Errors in 1969.[3]
O'Brien first took the director's chair on Broadway for a revival ofCock-A-Doodle Dandy in 1969. O'Brien wrote the book and lyrics for the short-lived (five performances)The Selling of the President (1972).[4][5] He returned to directing for a revival ofThe Time of Your Life in 1975 and a revival ofPorgy and Bess in 1977, for which he received his first Tony nomination. In the meantime, he directed dozens of Shakespeare plays and other works at the Old Globe, the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre,off-Broadway and elsewhere.[3] In New York, he next directed revivals ofThe Most Happy Fella (1979) on Broadway[6] andPorgy and Bess (Radio City Music Hall, 1983).
After becoming Artistic Director of the Old Globe Theatre in 1981, O'Brien continued directing productions there, including a revival ofThornton Wilder'sThe Skin of Our Teeth, which was televised live to open the 1983 season of PBS's "American Playhouse" series, and the world premieres of Stephen Metcalfe'sEmily (1986) andA. R. Gurney'sThe Cocktail Hour (1988).[7]
As Artistic Director of the Old Globe, O'Brien co-producedStephen Sondheim'sInto the Woods (1987–89),Rumors (1988–90) and the dramaThe Piano Lesson (1990–91), for which he won his firstDrama Desk Award. Returning to directing, O'Brien helmedTwo Shakespearean Actors (1992). He co-producedTwo Trains Running (1992) andRedwood Curtain (1993). He also directed and produced a revival ofDamn Yankees (1994–95),Hapgood (1995, winning the Lucille Lortel Award for Direction), a flop calledGetting Away With Murder (1996) and producedPlay On! (1997). He next directed a revival ofThe Little Foxes (1997), a new comedy,More to Love (1998), which closed in three days, and producedGetting and Spending (1998). O'Brien also has occasionally directed for television over the years.
O'Brien had a hit withThe Full Monty, which he directed and produced (2000–2002), and critical success with the dramaThe Invention of Love (2001) for which he won the Drama Desk Award for direction. In 2002, he directed the world premiere of theNora Ephron playImaginary Friends, which then transferred to Broadway. That same year he directedHairspray, which ran on Broadway until January 2009. This marked his first Tony Award win, and he also received another Drama Desk Award. In 2002, he was honored with the prestigious "Mr. Abbott" Award from the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation.[7] On Broadway, he next produced two more Old Globe productions,Imaginary Friends (2002–03), which he directed, and the one-performance flop,Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (2003), which he did not. He returned to Shakespeare, directingHenry IV (2003–04), for which he won both the Tony and the Drama Desk Awards, and progressed from the sublime to the ridiculous, directing and producingDirty Rotten Scoundrels (2005–06). He then produced other works including the Old Globe's annual musical adaptation ofDr. Seuss'How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Christmas 2006–07 and 2007–08).
O'Brien next directedTom Stoppard's trilogy of playsThe Coast of Utopia (2006–07) atLincoln Center in New York City, winning both the Tony and Drama Desk Awards. He then directedGiacomo Puccini's trilogy of operasIl trittico for theMetropolitan Opera. Other opera productions have includedPeter Maxwell Davies'The Lighthouse forSan Diego Opera,Mozart'sThe Magic Flute for theSan Francisco Opera,Verdi'sAida forHouston Grand Opera,Kurt Weill'sStreet Scene forNew York City Opera, which was televised on "Live from Lincoln Center", andPuccini'sTosca forSanta Fe Opera. On television, O'Brien has directed six movies for "American Playhouse", includingAn Enemy of the People,I Never Sang for my Father,All My Sons, andPainting Churches.[8] His Broadway revival ofMost Happy Fella and staging ofThe Good Doctor were produced for PBS.[2]
O'Brien's latest directoral efforts at the Old Globe include Shakespeare'sTwelfth Night, Chekhov'sThe Seagull, in a new version by Stoppard, andBrendan Behan'sThe Hostage. In stepping down as Artistic Director of the Old Globe Theatre at the end of 2007, O'Brien said, " 'I consider myself truly blessed to have been able to enjoy such a full and varied career at the Globe. I have had the enviable opportunity to direct everything from Shakespeare to new American works to Broadway-bound musicals, all under the supportive and watchful eye of an enthusiastic San Diego community.' "[7]
He was expected to be the director of a new stage musical onHarry Houdini, produced byScott Sanders andDavid Rockwell with the music being composed byStephen Schwartz. Original starHugh Jackman dropped out of the project in December 2013. Plans for a reading in December 2013 with out-of-town tryouts and then a Broadway premiere are presumably on hold; the musical had aimed for the 2015–16 Broadway season.[9][10]
He directed several workshops of the musical adaptation ofCatch Me If You Can, working together withJerry Mitchell, who has choreographed many of O'Brien's musicals. The Broadway production opened in April 2011.[11][12]
He also directedAndrew Lloyd Webber's sequel toThe Phantom of the Opera,Love Never Dies, which opened in London on March 9, 2010.[13]
In 2009, he directed the premiere of theMichael Jacobs playImpressionism at the Schoenfeld Theatre, starringJeremy Irons andJoan Allen.[14] He served as the director for the 2015–16 North American tour ofThe Sound of Music.[15] O'Brien directed the Broadway production ofCharlie and the Chocolate Factory, which opened on Broadway in 2017.[16]
In 2021, he directed the West End revival ofHairspray, staged at theLondon Coliseum for a limited 12-week run. It saw O'Brien reunited with fellow original production memberJerry Mitchell, who once again acted as choreographer. The new production also hadMichael Ball reprise hisOlivier Award winning role of Edna Turnblad.[17]
In 2022, he published a handbook about directing based on his experiences,Jack in the Box: or, How to Goddamn Direct.[18]
In Fall 2024, O'Brien directedThe Roommate byJen Silverman on Broadway, starringPatti Lupone andMia Farrow at the Booth Theatre.[19]
