Michael Grandage
Hometown: Penzance, England, some 5 1/2 hours south of London
Currently: Savoring a Tony Award nomination for his Broadway directorial debut, Frost/Nixon, Peter Morgan's play about the 1977 interviews between U.K. talk show host David Frost and America's 37th president, Richard Milhous Nixon.
Morgan Mania: Frost/Nixon has had a charmed life since opening last summer at London's Donmar Warehouse, where Grandage serves as artistic director. "Our preview period at the Donmar coincided with everyone going bananas over The Queen," Grandage says of the hit film written by Morgan and starring Oscar winner Helen Mirren. "In film circles, Peter was as hot as he could possibly be." Ron Howard snapped up the film rights to Frost/Nixon and will begin shooting within days of the close of the Broadway run August 19. Among those talked about to join Michael Sheen and Frank Langella as Frost and Nixon: Sam Rockwell, Rebecca Hall, Toby Jones and Kevin Bacon.
Behind the Footlights: Grandage began his career as an actor, appearing to excellent effect 20 years ago in the play Mumbo Jumbo, directed by Nicholas Hytner, and as Roderigo in the legendary Ian McKellen/Willard White Othello, directed by Trevor Nunn. Asked if he misses the limelight, Grandage exclaims, "Never, never, never. I can barely manage to walk on a stage anymore. Sometimes, I see a show and I come out of myself and marvel at how relaxed a performer looks on stage. That all seems so far away that I could never conceive of going back—and that's what it would be for me, going back. It's just about getting to a place in your life where you knew one thing wasn't working. I was very fortunate that my other option"—namely, directing—"worked."
The Newest Thing: Frost/Nixon is only the second new play Grandage has directed since he first segued from acting with a production of Arthur Miller's The Last Yankee in Colchester, northeast of London, 11 years ago. His finest productions for the Donmar have included Merrily We Roll Along, Peter Nichols' Passion Play, an extraordinary version of Ibsen's Wild Duck and a reportedly Broadway-bound revival of Guys and Dolls. "It's a very brave thing to be a new play director," he notes, "because the whole point of new plays is that only the play itself gets discussed; the production as such doesn't really get mentioned."
It's a Business: It's one thing to come to Broadway as a visitor and another to experience it firsthand, as Grandage has now, snaring a Best Director Tony nomination in the process. "Witnessing first-hand the whole producing side [in New York], the way that Broadway treats the theater very seriously as a business and is upfront about selling something in the public arena—I found that very inspiring," he says. "At some level, they know in the New York theater that they're in a marketplace where they have to survive—and they know that if they don't survive, it's going to be costly for a lot of people. So they have their strategies and their business plan, and then they let the 'art' in a separate room get on with it."
Tony Togs: As Grandage gets ready for Tony night, the red-carpet question must be asked: Have people been ringing him up, proffering tuxes? "No," the director says with a laugh. "What are you trying to tell me? Do you think I should even get on the plane?" What matters, he knows full well, isn't winning but just being at the party. "I'll be there in my normal suit that we've all seen so many times before. I shall have a really good time."