Producer Kenneth D. Greenblatt Retires

On his 80th birthday, six-time Tony Award–winning producer Kenneth D. Greenblatt has retired as GFOUR Productions Founder and Chairman. 

Greenblatt shepherded hits such as NINE, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, ZORBA THE GREEK starring Anthony Quinn, MY ONE AND ONLY starring Tommy Tune and Twiggy, CATSKILLS ON BROADWAY and the accidental 25-year cultural revolution, MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL. Today, he takes his curtain call after an eleventh-hour career arc that includes six currently running Broadway and West End productions and investments, as well as his recent Tony Award for STEREOPHONIC, the most Tony-nominated play in history, now on national tour in the U.S.

“What I admire most about Ken is his graciousness and respect for artists. Our enduring friendship speaks volumes about his character,” said Susan Stroman, Tony Award-winning Director and Choreographer of THE PRODUCERS. 

Greenblatt's love of theatre was inherited from his grandmother, who would take him once a year, on his birthday, to see a Broadway musical.

In 1981, after selling his textile company, a friend asked if he would like to invest in a Broadway show. He agreed, on one unorthodox condition — to attend rehearsals nightly after working his day job. Halfway through rehearsals, the lead producers pulled out of the Broadway-bound musical. Greenblatt stepped in and raised the remaining funds for the production, all while taking private classes from famed Broadway attorney Donald C. Farber to learn on-the-job. That production was NINE the musical starring Raul Julia, Anita Morris and Karen Akers, which went on to win the 1982 Tony Award for Best Musical, upsetting frontrunner DREAMGIRLS. Greenblatt stood on stage with partners Michel Stuart, James M. Nederlander and Francine LeFrak to collect the first of what would become many theatrical awards.

“I've been fortunate to know Ken since the days when he worked with my father. He's a terrific guy and a heck of a producer. All of us at The Nederlander Organization wish him the very best on his well-deserved retirement, and I thank him personally for his many years of friendship,” said James L. Nederlander, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Nederlander Organization. 

Greenblatt had a string of successes fueling Broadway's turnaround in the 1980s, including the groundbreaking new musical LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, centered on a love story between two men. Jerry Herman, a fellow University of Miami alumnus, originally played his piano demos for Greenblatt. Without considering the cultural significance or risk of the production, Greenblatt knew the show must be produced. The importance of the show became painfully clear during the height of the AIDS crisis, when the community mourned the loss of industry friends and cast members. Producers later revived LA CAGE AUX FOLLES twice, both times winning Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Musical. Greenblatt and Herman remained great friends until Herman's passing in 2019.

Known for his supportive, artist-friendly style, Greenblatt worked alongside an extraordinary roster of artists who helped define modern American musical theatre. His collaborators included Hal Prince, Tommy Tune, Mike Nichols, Susan Stroman, Mike Ockrent, William Ivey Long, Maury Yeston, Kander and Ebb, Maltby and Shire, Jason Alexander, Chita Rivera, Liza Minnelli and many others whose work shaped Broadway across generations. Greenblatt earned a reputation not only as a savvy producer, but as a trusted partner—someone who artists felt believed in them and stood behind them.

“David Shire and I actually owe our careers to Ken. We were having trouble convincing people that audiences would love BABY, a show about how lives are changed by the advent of a child. We played the show for Kenny, and he fell in love. He saw what we were trying to do and gave us what we needed,” said Richard Maltby Jr., Tony Award–winning writer and director of AIN'T MISBEHAVIN and FOSSE.  

With his wife Sandi, Greenblatt founded GFOUR Productions. With then-partners Alan and Kathi Glist, they produced the surprise phenomenon MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL, which has now been seen by more than 17 million fans in 16 countries and translated into nine languages. Now joined by his son Seth Greenleaf, the cultural explosion of MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL transformed GFOUR Productions into an international powerhouse company, with as many as 20 global productions and tours operating simultaneously. Greenblatt and Greenleaf went on to produce more than 40 plays and musicals together, winning an additional four Tony Awards, six Drama Desk Awards, and three Olivier Awards.

CEO and President Greenleaf now leads the company, alongside CFO Maureen Portlock, Director of Operations and Production Kim Simari, Associate Director of Operations and Production Lauren Schwartz, Director of Sales and Marketing Ashley Dinges, Associate Director of Sales and Marketing Alyssa Holland, Marketing Coordinator Erica Gerold, Director of Casting Karie Koppel and an international team of general managers, company managers, stage managers, designers and performers. Greenblatt is confident GFOUR Productions will continue to thrive and inspire audiences—including himself.

At the time of Greenblatt's retirement, GFOUR Productions has numerous productions and investments currently running on Broadway and in the West End, including STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW, THE BOOK OF MORMON, THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, THE SHARK IS BROKEN, SIX and multiple versions of MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL. Additional productions in active development include the controversial new Off-Broadway musical SLAM FRANK and YOU'VE STILL GOT A FRIEND, a touring tribute to the enduring friendship and collaboration between Carole King and James Taylor.