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Interviews
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A "Darling of Broadway" David Grindley, currently directing The American Plan on Broadway, tells Philip Fisher why he loves the experience of working in New York After a stream of successes in London, the highlight of which were his revivals of two classics from different eras, Abigail's Party and Journey's End, David Grindley has quickly become the darling of Broadway. At the moment, the city is having something of a love affair with British directors, as he is joined there by amongst others Michael Blakemore, Sam Mendes, Stephen Daldry and Ian Rickson. Philip Fisher caught up with him during the rehearsal period leading up to the opening of The American Plan by Richard Greenberg, a writer who is best known in London for Three Days of Rain which is to be revived in the West End next month. Grindley's initial foray on to Broadway could hardly have been more unexpected. It was with Journey's End, a British play from The Great War, in which stiff upper lips and public school values are examined in great detail, hardly natural fare for a city where lighthearted, racy musicals are all the rage. "That was a complete surprise. It was the most amazing thing. It came out of the blue when the producer of Spamalot called saying he'd like to take it to Broadway. It was an incredible experience. Even though they could see that it would not do well commercially, they kept the show on and it won the Tony for Best Revival." Having got that taste of theatre on the far side of the Atlantic, he was determined to carry on. His next venture in late 2007 was Pygmalion, starring Claire Danes. Grindley has really appreciated the opportunity to work in the theatre capital of America. "New York is a success or failure town. If you have something that works it opens doors". He also recognises some significant differences from the way things are done in the West End, not all of them good. "I could never have done The American Plan in the UK as the revolve and other machinery is automated and that doesn't happen there. It was the same with Pygmalion. That ability to technically put on shows is great". It is not all one-way traffic. "In the West End we could move slightly quicker, possibly because of the lower budgets. In the US, it takes longer. The technical period is usually four to five days plus three weeks previews, compared with three days and one week of previews in London. That changes the rhythm of a show. That is difficult because I like momentum and getting to an end point. "Another difference is that in the United States they have press in at up to six shows during the last week of previews. This can cause problems for actors who need to be brilliant every time. If they are nervous on one or two previews and have bad luck, they'll pick the night that the major critics who can make or break a show like Ben Brantley [of the New York Times] come in. The reviews will then inevitably reflect that". Despite such problems, Grindley is adamant that "I like it here, I really do". One thing that he greatly appreciates is "the way in which people are always talking about shows, much more so than in the UK. This means that you have to be robust, as people know who you are when you sit in an audience". A further contrast that can make life easier is that in America, New York is the theatre capital but LA is the centre for film. "If an actor stays in New York, theatre is their bread and butter. That means that someone like Gypsy star, Boyd Gaines or Jefferson Mays [with whom Grindley has worked on a couple of occasions] are theatre actors and not drifting between the two media. Because theatre actors will not typically be involved film or TV projects, it means that a director or producer can secure talent much earlier in the process". David Grindley is absolutely delighted to be working on The American Plan. "I wanted to do this show over five years ago. I thought it would work in the UK and planned it with producers there but we couldn't get the major actors. "Richard knew I wanted to do it. The Manhattan Theatre Company were interested because the [Samuel J. Friedman (formerly the Biltmore)] Theatre is difficult to programme. Their model now is to revive greatest hits from their own back catalogue. We did a reading during Pygmalion". The rest is history. Grindley had a clear idea of the look that he wanted from an early stage and was keen to remain loyal to British designer Jonathan Fensom, who had already been of great assistance on the project. "When I got it, I lobbied for Jonathan, who had been involved from day one in the UK". He is delighted with the simplicity of a set that allows fourteen transitions without slowing the drama. "Jonathan, as ever, has done an absolutely tremendous design". His initial take on the play might make one wonder why he was chosen rather than a local. "It's not just an American play, it's a New York Jewish play. At Manhattan Theatre Company, with a large, mature Jewish subscribership, some of the references they absolutely loved. This was their childhood holiday before air-conditioning". However, the man who started his career working on characteristically British plays feels that he and Fensom had much to offer even in the context of an archetypal American play produced in New York. "It's a real pot pourri of US dramatic genres with connections to Scott Fitzgerald, Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller. Our central thesis is old world meets new. We brought the European dimension with Eva [a colourful German matriarch played by Mercedes Ruehl], who was old world." Already, before The American Plan opens, Grindley has two more projects lined up in North America. First, his London production of Christopher Hampton's The Philanthropist will be transferring with Matthew Broderick playing the lead. Then he heads north of the border to do A Midsummer Night's Dream at Stratford, Ontario. His fellow countrymen will be relieved to learn that after that, which will take him through to the autumn of 2009, the father-of-three young children would love to return to the UK. He already has plans to do adaptations of Graham Greene's The Third Man by David Harrower, Klaus Mann's Mephisto by Helen Edmundson and also novelist Elizabeth Taylor's Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont, as yet unallocated. By then, he will be a big name on both sides of the Atlantic and who knows, he might even follow Mendes and Daldry on to the silver screen as well?
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