Jack Viertel

Jack Viertel reading at the 2017 Gaithersburg Book Festival

Jack Viertel is an American theatrical producer and writer. He was born in Stamford, Connecticut. During his 34 years at Jujamcyn Theaters from 1987 to 2021, he occupied positions including Creative Director and Senior Vice President. He was "conceiver of the longest running musical revue in Broadway history, Smokey Joe's Cafe, conceived the critically acclaimed After Midnight, and served as the dramaturg for Hairspray. The musical and movie The Prom were developed from his original concept."[1]

From 2000 to 2020, he was a producer at the Encores! series.[2][3][4][5] Under his tenure, several Encores! productions transferred to Broadway, including After Midnight, The Apple Tree, Finian's Rainbow, and Gypsy.[2]

In 2003, he began lecturing at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. He developed the content of his music theatre studies course into a book, The Secret Life of the American Musical, published in 2016.[6] Reviews were largely positive, with The New York Times calling it "revelatory and entertaining."[7]

  1. ^ Evans, Greg (January 11, 2022). "Broadway's Longtime Jujamcyn Exec Jack Viertel Announces Retirement". Deadline. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Paulson, Michael (July 16, 2019). "Jack Viertel Stepping Down at Encores! After 20 Years as Leader". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  3. ^ "Jack Viertel Will Step Down as Encores! Artistic Director Following 2020 Season". Broadway.com. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  4. ^ McPhee, Ryan. "Jack Viertel to Step Down as City Center Encores! Artistic Director". Playbill. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  5. ^ Evans, Greg (January 11, 2022). "Broadway's Longtime Jujamcyn Exec Jack Viertel Announces Retirement". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  6. ^ Steven, Suskin (April 11, 2016). "On the Shelf: Jack Viertel's Broadway Secrets". HuffPost. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  7. ^ Pogrebin, Robin (March 9, 2016). "'The Secret Life of the American Musical,' by Jack Viertel". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 10, 2024.