COM Outlook Winter 2019

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY | 41 roommate while at the KPCOM. “Michael had always wanted to be a part of the Broadway scene, and he eventually formed a Broadway production company that would one day evolve into our current company— Witzend Productions,” Grove explained. “While we had always been in touch since medical school, our friendship grew after I came out as gay,” he added. “After visiting Michael in New York City in 2011 to see his first Broadway musical—a successful revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying —he saw my interest in theater and offered me an opportunity to be a partner in his company.” Grove served as a producing partner in several productions, including the 2015 Off-Broadway musi- cal Daddy Long Legs , which was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for outstanding musical, and the Broadway musical Tuck Everlasting in 2016. Additional musicals followed, including 2018’s Escape to Margaritaville . One of the keys to being a successful Broadway producer is connecting with the material in a significant way, which is what happened when Grove first heard about the proposed revival of the musical Once on This Island . “I was moved by the storyline and fell in love with its musical score,” admitted Grove, who invested a significant sum of money to help bring the heartwarming musical to Broadway. “Once I saw the first preview of the show, I knew we had something great.” Theater critics and the audience responded in kind to the musical, which has been a huge box-office success since it began its official Broadway run on December 3, 2017. Acclaim for Once on This Island reached a fevered pitch on May 1, 2018, when it received eight Tony Award nominations, including one in the coveted Best Revival of a Musical category. Anxiety Gives Way to Glee When the nationally televised awards ceremony finally rolled around, Grove, his family, and the Once on This Island contingent sat in New York City’s famed Radio City Music Hall, anxiously awaiting what From left: Marvin Kahan, Michael Jackowitz, and Jeffrey Grove—the three managing partners of Witzend Productions—at the Tony Awards Gala held immediately following the ceremony. continued on page 43 Jeffrey Grove’s producer Tony Award