Today's guest started his directing career in college and has been directing in Chicago since 1986. He has since gone on to direct plays, musicals and symphony concerts from Broadway to London and everywhere in between.

For a time, he was the co-artistic director for the Apple Tree Theater in Highland Park, and was the artistic director of Drury Lane Oakbrook from 1993 to 1998.

His two piano staging of My Fair Lady played both at McCarter Theater in New Jersey and Hartford Stage in Connecticut in 2004, after its debut at Chicago's Court Theater.

In 2005. He made his Broadway directorial debut with The Color Purple, followed by the revival of The Apple Tree in 2006. In 2009, he directed a lauded production of West Side Story at the Stratford Festival of Canada.

During his tenure as associate artistic director for Chicago Shakespeare Theater. He inaugurated their musical theater wing, directing several Stephen Sondheim musicals, including A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George (twice!) Road Show, and Gypsy.

He returned to Broadway in 2015, directing Honeymoon in Vegas, and has staged multiple revivals for New York City Center Encores!

His next big project is the 50th anniversary of the concert of the century, which is a one night only gala concert at Carnegie Hall on May 5th, 2026. For more information on the concert, please visit this link.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with my very good friend Gary Griffin. Now let's go to the top of the show.