COM Outlook Winter 2019

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY | 43 fate had in store for them. Grove, who admitted to being “nervous and excited,” watched uneasily as his beloved musical failed to claim a single award as the ceremony approached its climax. “Sitting there all night and being shut out of winning any of the first seven categories was rough,” Grove confessed. “Our nerves were frayed! Then, in an instant, everything changed. They called our name for Best Revival of a Musical, and the crowd erupted with the loudest applause and cheering of the entire evening.” What followed were a blur of hugs, congratula- tions, and full-throated celebrations. “After re- ceiving our award on stage, we were escorted to a hall that led to the back of the theater,” he said. “As we waited for a break in the show to be reseated, I spoke to our director, Michael Arden, and our lead actress, Hailey Kilgore, who had both been nomi- nated for a Tony that night. Everyone was so happy.” Once the ceremony ended, Grove and company headed to the official Tony Gala at The Plaza hotel, which turned out to be an ultra-glamorous affair replete with red carpet, roses, festive music, and an endless supply of food and drink. A few hours later, the Once on This Island revelers continued their celebration at a local restaurant. “We rented the entire space, and everyone was so ecstatic,” he happily recalled. “The energy was palpable. We were all hugging and crying tears of joy.” If the truth be told, Grove received two Tonys— one in the name of Witzend Productions and a personal one engraved with his name for being a substantial investor in the musical. “I have the corporate one on a light-up pedestal display stand in my New York apartment, while the ‘Jeff Grove’ Tony has a similar display in my Tampa home,” he said. Two days after winning the coveted Tony, Grove returned to his other passion—medicine—and was back at work in Largo seeing patients. Although he thoroughly enjoys all aspects of his dual careers, Grove admits it’s a challenge to continually balance their disparate demands. “As our theater company has grown in size and in success, there are a lot more trips and phone calls,” he explained. “Luckily, I have the best medical business partners, associates, and staff members. I have cut back on seeing patients to just a couple days a week now. I also bought an apartment in Manhattan, which makes traveling there easier.” Grove will be visiting New York more frequently now that he has two additional productions playing on the Broadway stage. The musical Gettin’ the Band Back Together made its official debut on August 13, while the play Life Span of a Fact , which debuted on October 18, features the high-voltage star power of Daniel Radcliffe, Tony Award winner Cherry Jones, and Emmy Award winner Bobby Cannavale. Grove gratefully notes that the past few years have been an amazing roller-coaster ride of emotions. “Win- ning the Tony was a real ‘Wow, we did it!’ moment,” he said. “I have been successful in medicine, and now we have already achieved this level of achievement in musical theater. It’s a true dream come true.” † Pictured, from left, at the Tony Awards ceremony are Victoria Grove (daughter), Jeffrey Grove, Garrett Grove (son), Kelsie Nehrboss (Garrett’s girlfriend), and Gerald Sosa (Jeffrey Grove’s fiancé). continued from page 41