Alumni Spotlight

JEFFREY RICHARDS ’62

Jeffrey Richards is one of the leading producers of plays and musicals on Broadway, in London’s West End, and around the world. He’s won countless awards and accolades for his work including eight Tony Awards.

An interview with Jen Ziplow, Assistant Director of Development and Alumni Relations, and Sarah Woods, Director of Communications; article by Jen Ziplow.

Jen Ziplow: We’d love to learn more about what you’ve done in your time since Allen-Stevenson.

Jeffrey Richards: Well, I left Allen-Stevenson in the Fourth Grade. I went to Riverdale Country School for high school, then to Wesleyan University for my undergraduate degree. Following that, I went to Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. I didn’t really go into journalism, but I did write for a small syndicate called the Pop Scene Service and interviewed personalities. At the same time, I began a career in public relations and established my own firm, which lasted for over 40 years, through my recent production of Significant Other. I’ve been producing plays since 1995. My first production was The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr Abridged, and my first Broadway production was Gore Vidal’s The Best Man. I’ve presented approximately 50 or so productions on Broadway since then. When I was a public relations representative, I did PR for the longest running comedy thriller, Death Trap, as well as Me and My Girl, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Talley’s Folly, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Two Trains Running, The Piano Lesson, the original production of Glengarry Glen Ross…among many others. Suffice to say, I did a lot of press over a 40-year period. I represented theaters like The Circle Rep and The American Place Theatre, which originated The Women’s Project, as well as Hudson Guild and the American Jewish Theater, all of which are gone now.

JZ: Did your mom also work in the world of Theater?

JR: She was a press agent and then she was a manager in the theater. When I started out as a press agent, ironically, the first two shows that I did were the revivals of Don Juan In Hell and The Pajama Game, which she had been on as a press agent. I eventually got the rights to The Pajama Game 33 years later and brought it to the Roundabout Theater with Harry Connick and Kelli O’Hara. She was one of the early General Managers on Broadway too.

JZ: Is that how you fell in love with the theater?

JR: I would say yes. I would go to see everything when I was young, so consequently, I became hooked.

JZ: What made you switch from public relations to play productions?

JR: I went to see a show in London that I really liked. I came back to the U.S. and thought it was perfect for Broadway but couldn’t interest any of the producers I worked with. They performed the show at Princeton University, so I invited an agent I knew, along with a few producers, and we all trekked down to see The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr Abridged. The agent said he was going to sign the writer of the play, but the producers I brought said they didn’t want to do it. They told me ‘if you love it so much, why don’t you produce it?’ And that’s exactly what I did—it was my first production! It was exciting and intimidating to raise funding for an off-Broadway show. We eventually recouped and made a very small profit. I was very fortunate it turned out positively for me. Then I did three off-Broadway plays and won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Never the Sinner, about Leopold and Loeb. I had an idea in 1998, with two other producers, to do a series of political plays in the 1999-2000 season. I suggested four plays: Advice and Consent, State of the Union, The Gang’s All Here, and Gore Vidal’s The Best Man. We were going to do four performances of each at the Promenade Theater, but my partners thought there wasn’t any money in it, and they were right. But I couldn’t get The Best Man out of my mind, so I took the plunge and produced it on Broadway. It was my first Broadway show.

JZ: Do you have any favorite productions or plays that you’ve seen?

JR: Well, that’s a difficult question. It’s like asking a parent who’s your favorite child. I love all the plays that I’ve done— the successes and the failures. I’ve had a pretty good track record, all things considered, but it can be difficult. I’ve done

some shows twice, Glengarry Glen Ross and Gore Vidal’s The Best Man. I’m going to be doing an entirely female version of Glengarry Glen Ross soon.

Sarah Woods: What inspired you to do an all-female version?

JR: I happen to have loved the play. I did one production of it in 2005 and another with Bobby Cannavale and Al Pacino. I wanted to do it again but do it differently. We’re not changing a single word of dialogue. Actually, of course, the reason is that this play takes place in a real estate office, and just like most ticket buyers in the theater, most real estate professionals I’ve encountered have been women.

SW: Did you perform at all during your time at AllenStevenson?

JR: One of my fondest memories was being part of the Orchestra. Playing with Stanley Gauger is something I remember most positively. I played the cello and used to take it on the subway; it was taller than I was. I wasn’t in any A-S productions, but I did play the tonette, which I would call the proverbial Allen-Stevenson instrument. It was something we all played—a very small instrument. Stanley Gauger was inspirational, and that Orchestra has always been a highlight of my time at A-S. Well, that, and dodgeball in the gym upstairs.

JZ: Were you involved in plays or performances at your other schools?

JR: At Riverdale, I was in Gilbert & Sullivan plays in Fifth and Sixth Grade. Actually, I think the first time I saw Gilbert & Sullivan was during my time at Allen-Stevenson. I also directed a play while there. I worked on an adaption of Anything Goes. At Wesleyan, I was an editor and a critic.

JZ: How do you continue to challenge yourself and grow in your career?

JR: That’s a big question. I read a fair number of scripts. When you’re a producer, it really is reflective of your tastes. I have very eclectic tastes because I’ve done plays like August Osage County, plays by David Mamet, plays by David Henry Hwang and Herman Wouk…It’s the quality of the material that drives me. I read a play a few years ago called The Sound Inside, and I couldn’t put it down. I had the good fortune to do that. Writers attract me—the quality of the writing. And that’s usually it. I don’t do that many imports from London. I generally gravitate towards American writers and themes. Two upcoming plays are The Minutes by Tracy Letts, which is about cancel culture, and American Buffalo from David Mamet with Sam Rockwell, Laurence Fishburne and Darren Criss. They’ll both open in April.

JZ: How does it feel to have Broadway open again?

JR: It feels quite wonderful at this point. I’m glad that I’m opening my plays in April. I think audiences are coming back, but we need a tourist audience, and that’s a bit slower in returning. You’re more dependent now on local audiences, which is about 35%, while 65% are tourists. I think there are signs that are very encouraging right now, but it’s going to be a slow recovery. The theater, while metaphorically, had Covid. And anyone who has had Covid and recovered knows the bounce back takes a bit of time, and we certainly hurt for 17 months. With protocols in place, we are making it very safe to go to the theater, and people want to return.

JZ: Do you have any advice for boys at Allen-Stevenson today?

JR: I hope that they get a wonderful education. Allen-Stevenson is still one of the best schools in the city, and its strong reputation remains intact. Right above me, in my building, was Richard Thomas ’66, who was in a couple of productions of mine. We both went uptown together for an event about ten years ago for Stanley Gauger. He was such an influential figure to so many of us.