Rob Ashford

Rob Ashford (born November 19, 1959) is an American stage director and choreographer. He is a Tony Award, Olivier Award, Emmy Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award winner.

For the law professor, see Robert Ashford.
Ashford at the 2012 Drama League Benefit Gala

Early life

Born in Orlando, Florida and raised in Beckley, West Virginia, Ashford attended Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, in the pre-law program, graduating in 1982. He became interested in theatre with his work in the theatre department, and went on to study dance at Pittsburgh's Point Park University Conservatory of Performing Arts, graduating in 1983.[1] He performed in the Pittsburgh theatre scene while in college, appearing with such companies as Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera.[2] After graduation, Ashford moved to New York City, where he shared an apartment with friend and fellow choreographer Kathleen Marshall.[3]

Career

Broadway and Off-Broadway

As a dancer, Ashford made his Broadway debut in the 1987 Lincoln Center revival of Anything Goes starring Patti LuPone.[4] Productions of The Most Happy Fella (1992), Crazy for You (1992), My Favorite Year (1992) (also Dance Captain), Victor/Victoria (1995) (also Dance Captain) and Parade (1998) (also Dance Captain and Assistant Choreographer) followed.[5]

Ashford began working as a choreographer when Rob Marshall sent Ashford to re-stage Kiss of the Spider Woman in Buenos Aires.[6] He next served as Associate Choreographer to Kathleen Marshall on the Broadway revival of Ring Round the Moon in 1999[7] the 1999 Broadway revival of Kiss Me, Kate,[5] and Seussical in 2000.[8]

Ashford won the 2002 Tony Award for Best Choreography for the Broadway musical Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002).[9] Additional Broadway choreography credits include the Roundabout Theatre production of The Boys from Syracuse at the American Airlines Theatre in 2002,[10] The Wedding Singer (2006) (Tony Nomination),[11] Curtains (2007) (Tony Nomination), [12] Cry-Baby (2008) (Tony Nomination)[13] and Evita starring Ricky Martin (2012) (Tony Nomination).[14]

He directed and choreographed Promises, Promises starring Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth in 2010 (Tony Nomination for Best Choreography)[15] and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Daniel Radcliffe and John Laroquette in 2011,[16] receiving Tony Nominations for Best Direction of a Musical and Best Choreography of a Musical.[17] He also directed Scarlett Johansson in the 2012 revival of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" on Broadway.[18]

For the New York City Center Encores! staged concert series, Ashford has choreographed:[19] Tenderloin (2000), Bloomer Girl (2001),[20] A Connecticut Yankee (2001),[21] and Pardon My English (2004).[22]

He directed and choreographed a 2010 pre-Broadway production of Leap of Faith at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles.[23]

In April 2015, Ashford directed and choreographed an acclaimed production of Carousel for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, starring Laura Osnes and Steven Pasquale.[24] Ashford served as the choreographer of the musical Frozen.[25]

Off-Broadway credits include Pardon My English (2004), The Thing About Men (2003), Bloomer Girl (2001), A Connecticut Yankee (2001), and Time and Again (2001).[26]

London

In London, Ashford's directing credits include: Parade at the Donmar Warehouse (2007)[4](Olivier Nominations for Best Director and Best Theatre Choreographer)[27] and A Streetcar Named Desire in 2009 at the Donmar Warehouse starring Rachel Weisz (Olivier nomination, Best Revival).[28] He directed a revival of Anna Christie, starring Jude Law and Ruth Wilson at the Donmar Warehouse in 2011.[29] This production won the Olivier Award for Best Revival.[30] Ashford co-directed, with Jason Moore, the West End production of Shrek The Musical, which ran from 2011 to 2013 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.[31] For the Manchester International Festival, Ashford directed Kenneth Branagh and Alex Kingston in Macbeth in 2013.[32] The production transferred to the Park Ave Armory in New York City for a limited run in June 2014.[33]

His choreography credits include Evita (2007 Olivier Nomination, Best Theatre Choreographer),[34] Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly Theatre starring Ewan McGregor and Jane Krakowski (2006 Olivier nomination for Best Theatre Choreographer),[35] and Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Shaftesbury Theatre (2004 Olivier nomination for Best Theatre Choreographer).[36] He directed and choreographed a musical version of the film Finding Neverland[37] which premièred in autumn 2012 at Curve, Leicester.

Royal National Theatre choreography credits include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (2004)[38] and Once in a Lifetime in 2005.[39]

He directed and choreographed the new Gershwin musical A Damsel In Distress for Chichester Festival Theatre in 2015.[40] In 2016, he co-directed The Winter's Tale with Kenneth Branagh in a production that starred Branagh and Judi Dench.[41]

Film and television

Film credits include staging the musical numbers for the Bobby Darin biopic Beyond the Sea starring Kevin Spacey,[42] Seth MacFarlane's A Million Ways to Die in the West and Ted 2,[43][44] and the Disney film Cinderella directed by Kenneth Branagh.[45]

For television, Ashford has choreographed tributes to Andrew Lloyd Webber, Barbra Streisand, Jerry Hermann, Meryl Streep, Barbara Cook, Shirley MacLaine, and Tom Hanks for The Kennedy Center Honors. He was the choreographer for the Kennedy Center Honors in 2007 and 2009, and also a co-producer for 2011, 2012 and 2014.[46] He collaborated with filmmaker Baz Luhrmann on a production number featuring Hugh Jackman and Beyoncé Knowles for The 81st Annual Academy Awards,[47] and won the 2009 Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography.[48] He also served as choreographer for the 85th Academy Awards (2013), 86th Academy Awards (2014), and the 87th Academy Awards (2015).[49][50] In December 2013, Ashford was stage director and choreographer of NBC's live television presentation, The Sound of Music Live!, and received a DGA Award Nomination,[51] and an Emmy Award nomination.[52] Ashford then did the same for NBC's Peter Pan Live! in 2014, for which he received another DGA Award Nomination.[53]

Other

Asford choreographed the opening number of the 2013 Tonys, "Make it Bigger" [54] Ashford choreographed a new production of Candide at the Theatre du Chatelet (with subsequent productions at La Scala, Milan and The English National Opera). He directed The Barber of Seville for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, which began performances on February 1, 2014.[55] He directed and choreographed Carmen at the Houston Grand Opera in April and May 2014.[56]

Ashford is on the executive committee of The Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers,[57] Board of Trustees of The Joyce Theater,[58] Artists' Committee for the Kennedy Center Honors, and has been an Associate Director at The Old Vic since 2012.[59]

In 2011, the New York Observer listed Ashford as number 42 on “The New Power Gays: NYC’s Top 50” list;[60] Ashford was selected ro Out magazine's "Out 100" in 2013.[61]

Upcoming projects

He is directing The Entertainer with Kenneth Branagh for London's West End.[62] In February 2019, it was announced that Ashford would direct a film adaptation of Sunset Boulevard, starring Glenn Close.[63]

Credits (select)

Broadway

London
gollark: Really, users are the weakest point of lots of technological stuff.
gollark: I've heard of that and vaguely looked at using it, but the server stuff still seems very WIP.
gollark: Although Discord has giant servers now, so good luck leaving without missing tons of stuff!
gollark: If you want to move off Facebook you'll probably worry about losing contact with 293848 people you don't have anywhere else, if you want to move off Skype you might just have something like 5 people in a group with you.
gollark: It mostly doesn't happen unless the existing stuff is also very bad. I suspect it's also easier for somewhat purpose-specific instant messaging than for general social network stuff because the group which has to move with you is smaller and you don't have to migrate giant friend lists or something.

References
  1. "Tony Award-Winning Choreographer to Deliver Point Park University’s 50th Commencement Address" pointpark.edu, March 31, 2010
  2. Conner, Lynne (2007). Pittsburgh In Stages: Two Hundred Years of Theater. University of Pittsburgh Press. pp. 204. ISBN 978-0-8229-4330-3. Retrieved June 6, 2011
  3. Jones, Kenneth."Playbill On-Line's Brief Encounter with Rob Ashford" playbill.com, July 23, 2002
  4. Wolf, Matt. "Rob Ashford's journey: From dance steps to leader of the band" The New York Times, August 28, 2007
  5. "Rob Ashford" playbillvault.com, accessed February 4, 2014
  6. Cramer, Lyn.Interview, Rob Ashford "Creating Musical Theatre: Conversations with Broadway Directors and Choreographers", (books.google.com), 2013, ISBN 1408184591, pp. 4 and 7
  7. "'Ring Round the Moon' Credits" playbillvault.com, accessed February 4, 2014
  8. "Rob Ashford Broadway Credits" Internet Broadway Database
  9. Simonson, Robert. "2002 Tony Award: Choreography, Rob Ashford, 'Thoroughly Modern Millie'" playbill.com, June 2, 2002
  10. Simonson, Robert. "Dromio, Dromio: Roundabout Opens Revised 'Boys from Syracuse' Aug. 18" playbill.com, August 18, 2002
  11. Gans, Andrew. "The Wedding Is Off: New Musical 'Wedding Singer' to Close in December" playbill.com, October 25, 2006
  12. Hernandez, Ernio. "Curtains Up: Kander and Ebb Musical to Play Broadway with Pierce and Monk" playbill.com, November 2, 2006
  13. Murray, Matthew. "Theatre Review, 'Cry-Baby'" talkinbroadway.com, April 24, 2008
  14. Gans, Andrew. "Goodnight and Thank You": Broadway Revival of 'Evita' Ends Run Jan. 26" Archived 2013-01-27 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, January 26, 2013
  15. Brantley, Ben. "Theater Review. 'Promises, Promises'" The New York Times, April 26, 2010
  16. Hetrick, Adam. "Been A Long Day: 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying' Closes On Broadway May 20" playbill.com, May 20, 2012
  17. Hetrick, Adam. "Just the List: 2011 Tony Award Nominees" playbill.com, May 3, 2011
  18. " Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on Broadway" ibdb.com, accessed February 11, 2014
  19. "Listing, Encores!" Archived 2012-06-29 at the Wayback Machine nycitycenter.org
  20. Finkle, David. "Reviews. 'Bloomer Girl' " theatermania.com, March 23, 2001
  21. Portantiere, Michael. "Reviews. 'A Connecticut Yankee'" theatermania.com, February 12, 2001
  22. Brantley, Ben. "Theater Review; It's Springtime for Dresden In a Bubbly Era of Inhibition" The New York Times (webcache.googleusercontent.com), March 27, 2004
  23. Verini, Bob. "Reviews. 'Leap of Faith' " Variety, October 5, 2010
  24. Gans, Andrew. "Laura Osnes and Steven Pasquale Take a Ride on a Carousel in Chicago Starting Tonight playbill.com, April 10, 2015
  25. "'Frozen' Musical Sets Casting, New Choreographer on Way to Broadway". variety.com. April 17, 2017.
  26. "Rob Ashford Credits" broadwayworld.com
  27. "Olivier Winners 2008" Archived 2013-04-02 at the Wayback Machine olivierawards.com, accessed February 3, 2014
  28. "Olivier Winners 2010" Archived 2015-02-10 at the Wayback Machine olivierawards.com, accessed February 4, 2014
  29. Shenton, Mark. "Jude Law Stars in Rob Ashford's 'Anna Christie' at Donmar Warehouse, Opening Aug. 9" playbill.com, August 9, 2011
  30. "Olivier Winners 2012" Archived 2014-11-02 at the Wayback Machine olivierawards.com, accessed February 3, 2014
  31. " 'Charlie and The Chocolate Factory' to replace 'Shrek' at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane" westendtheatre.com, accessed February 3, 2014
  32. "Kenneth Branagh and Alex Kingston MACBETH Directed by Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh". mif.co.uk. Manchester International Festival. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  33. Purcell, Carey (June 14, 2014). "Immersive production of Macbeth, With Kenneth Branagh, closes at Park Avenue Armory June 22". Playbill. Philip S. Birsh. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  34. "Olivier Winners 2007" Archived 2014-10-04 at the Wayback Machine olivierawards.com, accessed February 3, 2014
  35. "Olivier Winners 2006" Archived 2014-12-29 at the Wayback Machine olivierawards.com, accessed February 3, 2014
  36. "Olivier Winners 2004" Archived 2012-01-17 at the Wayback Machine olivierawards.com, accessed February 3, 2014
  37. Jones, Kenneth."Borle, O'Hara, Kudisch, Peil, Moran, Davi Appeared in 'Finding Neverland' Reading" playbill.com, June 8, 2009
  38. Inverne, James. "National Theatre's 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' Opens July 9" playbill.com
  39. " National Theatre Archive. 'Once in a Lifetime' 2005 Listing" catalogue.nationaltheatre.org.uk, accessed February 4, 2014
  40. Shenton, Mark. " 'Damsel in Distress' Opens Tonight with Summer Strallen, Richard Fleeshman" playbill.com, June 10, 2015
  42. " 'Beyond the Sea' Credits" The New York Times, accessed February 3, 2014
  45. "Academy Announces Oscar Production Team" deadline.com, January 15, 2014
  46. "Rob Ashford Television" nytimes.com, accessed February 4, 2014
  47. Gans, Andrew. "Ashford to Help Luhrmann Stage Oscar Number for Host Jackman" playbill.com, February 2, 2009
  48. Hetrick, Adam. Theatre "Veterans Collect Top Prizes at 2009 Emmy Awards" playbill.com, September 20, 2009
  49. Champion, Lindsay. broadway.com, November 8, 2012
  50. Silverman, Gail. oscars.org
  51. "The Sound of Music Live!" The New York Times, accessed February 3, 2014
  54. "Tonys Opening Number Makes 2013 Year-End Lists" News from the Tony Awards, tonyawards.com, accessed September 8, 2017
  55. Purcell, Carey. "Rob Ashford-Helmed 'The Barber of Seville', Starring Nathan Gunn, Begins Feb. 1 at Lyric Opera of Chicago" playbill.com, February 1, 2014
  56. "Houston Grand Opera launches 2014 with exceptional line-up" operamusicbroadcast.com, accessed February 3, 2014
  57. "Executive Board" sdcweb.org, accessed February 4, 2014
  58. "Board of Trustees" joyce.org, accessed February 4, 2014
  59. Shenton, Mark. "Sheridan Smith to Star in 'Hedda Gabler' at London's Old Vic; Rob Ashford Joins Theatre as Associate Director" playbill.com, June 12, 2012
  60. Broadway.com Staff (June 22, 2011). "Scott Rudin, Larry Kramer, Rob Ashford & More Named to New York Observer's Top 50 'Power Gays'". Broadway.com. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  61. Out.com Editors (November 13, 2013). "The Out 100: Rob Ashford". Out.com. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  63. Criscitiello, Alexa (February 28, 2019). "Confirmed! Glenn Close To Star In Rob Ashford-Directed SUNSET BOULEVARD Musical Film!". Broadway World. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  64. Gans, Andrew. Drama Desk Winners Receive Trophies July 22" playbill.com, July 22, 2008
  65. " 'Promises, Promises' Credits and Awards" playbillvault.com, accessed February 4, 2014
  66. Jones, Kenneth. "Drama Desk Awards Go to Book of Mormon, Normal Heart, War Horse, Sutton Foster, Norbert Leo Butz" Archived 2011-06-29 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, May 23, 2011
  67. Hetrick, Adam. "Fred & Adele Astaire Awards, Honoring Liza Minnelli, Presented June 4" playbill.com, June 4, 2012
  68. Brantley, Ben. "Theater Review. 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,' at Richard Rodgers Theater" The New York Times, January 17, 2013
  69. Benedict, David.ReviewVariety, June 26, 2008
  70. Jones, Kenneth and Shenton, Mark. "Ashford-Directed Streetcar With Rachel Weisz Opens at Donmar" playbill.com, July 28, 2009
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