Bartlett Sher

Last updated
Bartlett Sher
Bartlett Sher (33725893393).jpg
Sher in 2017
Born (1959-03-27) March 27, 1959 (age 65)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Education College of the Holy Cross (BA)
Occupation Theatre director
SpouseKristin Flanders (2 children)

Bartlett B. Sher [1] (born March 27, 1959) is an American theatre director. The New York Times has described him as "one of the most original and exciting directors, not only in the American theater but also in the international world of opera". [2] Sher has been nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for the 2008 Broadway revival of South Pacific .

Contents

Sher has directed revivals of classic mid-century musicals on Broadway at Lincoln Center, which include South Pacific (2008), The King and I (2015), My Fair Lady (2018), and Camelot (2023). He also directed the plays Oslo (2017), To Kill a Mockingbird (2018), and Pictures from Home (2023).

Early life

Sher was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Aird (Stewart) and Joseph Sher. [3] He had six siblings, including a twin brother, Bradley. He was raised Catholic (during his teenage years, he found out that his Lithuanian-born father was Jewish). [4] [5] Sher attended St. Ignatius College Preparatory and later the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He returned to St. Ignatius to teach English and run the theatre program. [4] During the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games he was influenced by the arts programs associated with the Games, particularly by the work of Polish director Tadeusz Kantor.

Career

Sher served as associate artistic director at Hartford Stage (Hartford, Connecticut) and company director at the Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis, Minnesota) where he worked with Garland Wright, [6] who was a mentor as was Robert Woodruff. Sher has directed, taught and led workshops across the country and internationally. He was artistic director at Intiman Theatre in Seattle and in 2008 was named resident director at Lincoln Center Theater in New York City. [7]

Intiman Playhouse, Seattle

Sher served as artistic director at Intiman Playhouse in Seattle from 2000 to 2010. During 2010 Sher handed over this job to his successor, Kate Whoriskey. (The Intiman cancelled its 2011 season due to financial problems.) [8] [9] His productions at Intiman have included:

The Dying Gaul (a funny and tragic story of a grieving Hollywood scriptwriter) [11]
The Singing Forest (neurotics and therapists sparring) — world premiere [12]
Prayer for My Enemy (dysfunctional family, friendship, war in Iraq) [13]
The Light in the Piazza , book by Lucas (a chance meeting in Florence leads to romance) [14]

Other theatre and opera

At the Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA) in New York, Sher directed productions of [15] Waste by Harley Granville Barker in 2000 (its American premiere, winning the 2000 Obie Award for Best Play), Cymbeline by Shakespeare in 2002, Dom Juan by Molière in 2003, and Pericles, Prince of Tyre by Shakespeare in 2004. He directed Cymbeline , Dom Juan , and Pericles at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In 2006 Sher directed Gioachino Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia ( The Barber of Seville ) at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center. In 2009 Sher directed the opera Tales of Hoffmann at the Metropolitan Opera in New York (opening December 3, 2009). [16] In 2011, Sher directed Mourning Becomes Electra for Seattle Opera. [17] [18] In March 2011, Le Comte Ory by Rossini opened at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, in a production directed by Sher. The reviewer for The New York Times called the production "lively, colorful and inventive." [19] In June 2011, Sher's production of the world premiere of Nico Muhly's Two Boys was presented at the English National Opera. The American debut took place in October 2013, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The Met commissioned the production. Sher will direct a London revival of Kiss Me Kate at the Barbican Theatre for a run lasting from June through September 2024. [20] [21]

Broadway and Lincoln Center

Sher made his Broadway debut in 2005 when his production of The Light in the Piazza which had originated at the Intiman Playhouse premiered at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre. Sher received Tony Award nominations for The Light in the Piazza and a 2006 revival of Awake and Sing! , winning the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for the 2008 Broadway revival of South Pacific . He received another Tony nomination for the 2009 revival of Joe Turner's Come and Gone . In 2010 Sher directed a musical production of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown based on the 1988 film by Pedro Almodóvar. The show opened November 4, 2010 on Broadway in a Lincoln Center Theater production. The musical was criticized by Ben Brantley of The New York Times as being distracted, gimmicky and overdesigned. [22] A previously announced revival of Funny Girl that Sher was expected to direct with a Broadway opening in February 2012 was ultimately postponed. [23]

In December 2012, Golden Boy by Clifford Odets as directed by Sher opened in New York to a positive review in The New York Times. [24] This production was staged at the Belasco Theatre, the same spot where Golden Boy was first presented on Broadway, 75 years earlier. [25] The production received eight Tony Award nominations, including Sher's fifth for directing. Sher had directed Odets' Awake and Sing! in 2006. The production ran from December 2012 into January 2013 for 53 performances. In 2014 Sher directed a musical production of the novel The Bridges of Madison County . The production ran for 100 performances from February to May 2014.

Sher directed a Broadway revival of The King and I , which opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center on April 16, 2015, with Kelli O'Hara as Anna Leonowens, Ken Watanabe as The King of Siam, and Ruthie Anne Miles as Lady Tiang. He received a 2015 Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Musical, and the production received Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical (O'Hara), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Miles) and Best Costume Design of a Musical (Catherine Zuber). Sher directed a Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof , starring Danny Burstein as Tevye and Jessica Hecht as Golde, which opened at the Broadway Theatre on December 17, 2015 and played its final performance December 31, 2016. [26]

Sher directed the world premiere of J.T. Roger's play Oslo which opened at the Mitzi Newhouse Theater in July 2016. [27] The production transferred to the Vivian Beaumont Theater for an open run in April 2017. [28] Sher directed the 2021 television film adaptation of Oslo. [29] Sher received Tony Award nominations for Oslo, a 2018 revival of My Fair Lady , and the 2018 play adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird . In 2023, it was announced that he would direct the stage musical adaptation of Damien Chazelle's 2016 film La La Land . [30]

Personal life

Sher lives in Manhattan with his wife Kristin Flanders (a Yale trained actress) and two daughters. [2] His father, an insurance broker whom he described to The New York Times as a "brilliant businessman, very charismatic", was also a serial philanderer who had a second family with another woman. [2] Sher's childhood was marked by a drawn-out divorce.

His mother soon met a Chinese-American man, Doug Chung, who moved in, helped rear the family and brought them much needed stability. Sher's experiences with interracial blended families informed his directing of South Pacific.

Directing credits

Broadway

YearTitleVenue
2005 The Light in the Piazza Vivian Beaumont Theatre
2006 Awake and Sing! Belasco Theatre
2008 South Pacific Vivian Beaumont Theatre
2009 Joe Turner's Come and Gone Belasco Theatre
2010 Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
2012 Golden Boy
2014 The Bridges of Madison County Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
2015 The King and I Vivian Beaumont Theatre
Fiddler on the Roof Broadway Theatre
2017 Oslo Vivian Beaumont Theatre
2018 My Fair Lady
To Kill a Mockingbird Shubert Theatre
2023 Pictures from Home Studio 54
Camelot Vivian Beaumont Theatre

Film

YearTitleNotes
2021 Oslo Television film

Awards and nominations

YearAssociationCategoryWorkResultRef.
2002 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Director of a Play Cymbeline Nominated
Joe A. Callaway Award Won
2004 Joseph Jefferson Award Director of a Musical The Light in the Piazza Nominated
2005 Tony Award Best Direction of a Musical Nominated
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Director of a Musical Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Director of a MusicalNominated
2006 Tony Award Best Direction of a Play Awake and Sing! Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Director of a PlayNominated
2008 Tony Award Best Direction of a Musical South Pacific Won
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Director of a Musical Won
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Director of a MusicalWon
2009 Tony Award Best Direction of a Play Joe Turner's Come and Gone Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Director of a PlayNominated
2013 Tony Award Best Direction of a Play Golden Boy Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Director of a PlayNominated
2014 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Director of a Musical The Bridges of Madison County Nominated
2015 Tony Award Best Direction of a Musical The King and I Nominated
2016 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Director of a Musical Fiddler on the Roof Won
2017 Obie Award Ensemble Award Oslo Won
Tony Award Best Direction of a Play Nominated
2018 Tony Award Best Direction of a Musical My Fair Lady Nominated
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Director of a Musical Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Director of a MusicalWon
2019 Tony Award Best Direction of a Play To Kill a Mockingbird Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Director of a PlayNominated
2022 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Director of a Musical Intimate Apparel Nominated

Other recognition

In 2017, Sher received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Jeremy Irons. [31] [32]

In 2017, The New York Pops celebrated its 34th birthday with a gala honoring Sher and Kelli O'Hara. [33]

See also

Further reading

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References

  1. ↑ "College of the Holy Cross – Holy Cross Magazine" . Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Alex Witchel, The Stages of Bart Sher, The New York Times, February 24, 2008.
  3. ↑ Korbelik, Jeff."The Bond of Brothers:As Close as You Would Expect Twins to Be" JournalStar.com (Lincoln), February 20, 2010
  4. 1 2 Drukman, Steven."The Essential Bartlett Sher" Archived 2008-06-08 at the Wayback Machine TheatreCommunicationsGroup.com, September 2005, accessed August 23, 2011
  5. ↑ "Bartlett Sher's production of South Pacific remains younger than springtime". The Australian. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  6. ↑ Gussow, Mel."Garland Wright obituary" The New York Times (requires registration), July 26, 1998.
  7. ↑ Berson, Misha.Bartlett Sher, Tony Award-winning director, to leave Intiman" SeattleTimes.com, May 19, 2009
  8. ↑ "Intiman release" IntimanTheatre.org, accessed August 23, 2011
  9. ↑ Healy, Patrick."Seattle Theater Takes No-Frills Approach to Filling a Top Job" The New York Times, August 16, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Radio interview" NPR.org, December 3, 2001
  11. ↑ "Script summary" StagePlays.com, accessed August 23, 2011 [ dead link ]
  12. ↑ Isherwood, Charles."Modern Neurotics Mingling With the Ghosts of Vienna" The New York Times, January 29, 2005
  13. ↑ Huffman, Kelly."Review:'Prayer for My Enemy'" TheaterMania.com, August 10, 2007
  14. ↑ Simonson, Robert. "Tony-Winning Light in the Piazza Extends at Lincoln Center Until Jan. 1" Archived 2012-10-22 at the Wayback Machine Playbill.com, June 9, 2005
  15. ↑ "Production history" TFANA.org, accessed August 23, 2011 Archived September 25, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ Schweitzer, Vivien. "Swan Song of Offenbach, the Outsider" The New York Times, November 25, 2009
  17. ↑ "Electra production" SeattleOpera.org, accessed August 23, 2011
  18. ↑ Bartlett Sher interview about Electra and New York City Opera SeattleOpera.org, accessed August 23, 2011
  19. ↑ Tommasini, Anthony. "With Rossini's Mix of This and That, the Met Finds an Excuse for a Romp" The New York Times, March 25, 2011
  20. ↑ Dillon, Luke. "Kiss Me, Kate to open at the Barbican Theatre starring Adrian Dunbar & Stephanie J Block" West End Theatre.com, January 17, 2024
  21. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan "Stephanie J. Block Will Star in Bartlett Sher-Directed West End Kiss Me, Kate" Playbill, January 17, 2024
  22. ↑ Brantley, Ben."Here's Your Valium, What's Your Hurry?" The New York Times, November 5, 2010, pg C1
  23. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Los Angeles and Broadway Engagements of 'Funny Girl' Postponed" Archived 2011-11-04 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, November 3, 2011
  24. ↑ Isherwood, Charles "The Sweet Science vs. the Stradivarius", The New York Times, December 6, 2012
  25. ↑ New York Theatre "Golden Boy Reviews are Mostly Raves..."
  26. ↑ League, The Broadway. "Fiddler on the Roof – Broadway Musical – 2015 Revival - IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  27. ↑ Theater, Lincoln Center. "Oslo (Newhouse) - Lincoln Center Theater". Lincoln Center Theater. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  28. ↑ League, The Broadway. "Oslo – Broadway Play – Original - IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  29. ↑ Grater, Tom (2020-11-09). "Ruth Wilson & Andrew Scott Starring In HBO Movie 'Oslo'; Spielberg Exec'ing Tony-Winning Play Adaptation". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  30. ↑ Galuppo, Mia (February 7, 2023). "'La La Land' to Become a Broadway Musical". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  31. ↑ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
  32. ↑ "2017 Summit Overview Photo".
  33. ↑ "Kelli O'Hara and Bartlett Sher Honored at the New York Pops Gala". www.playbill.com. Playbill.
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