Jeffrey Finn is a Tony-Award winning American theatrical producer. He is the Vice President of Theater Producing and Programming at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Artistic Director of Broadway Center Stage.[1] He received the Commercial Theater Institute's 2013 Robert Whitehead Award for outstanding achievement in commercial theatre producing.[2] Finn is the President of Jeffrey Finn Productions and Hot On Broadway. He attended Connecticut College, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1992. He attended Beaver Country Day School from 1984 to 1988. He is a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Governors of The Broadway League[3] and is a part of The Independent Presenters Network.
Spamalot, the 2005 musical lovingly ripped off from the motion picture, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Spamalot is the first musical from the popular Broadway Center Stage series to transfer from the Kennedy Center to Broadway, opening on November 16, 2023 at the St. James Theatre to rave reviews, including a New York Times' Critics Pick. The revival was nominated for 2024 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Revival of a Musical, as well as a nomination for a Drama League Award for Best Revival of a Musical.
Company, a 1970 musical comedy with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth. The Broadway transfer of the 2018 West End revival was scheduled to open at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on March 22, 2020, with previews beginning on March 2. The production starred Patti LuPone as Joanne, and Katrina Lenk as Bobbie. The production also featured Jennifer Simard, Matt Doyle, Christopher Fitzgerald, Nikki Renee Daniels, and Christopher Sieber, with direction by Marianne Elliott. The production featured choreography by Liam Steel, music supervision and direction by Joel Fram, scenic and costume designs by Bunny Christie, lighting design by Neil Austin, sound design by Ian Dickinson (for Autograph Sound), and illusions by Chris Fisher. After COVID-related delays, the musical officially opened on Broadway December 9, 2021 and ran for 265 performances before closing on July 10, 2022. The revival was nominated for nine Tony awards, winning Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actress for Patti Lupone, best Performance for a Featured Actor for Matt Doyle, Best Direction of a Musical for Marianne Elliott, and Best Scenic Design of a Musical for Bunny Christie.
Plaza Suite, a comedy play by Neil Simon. The revival played at the Hudson Theatre beginning in previews on February 25, 2022, and officially opened on March 28, 2022, following a brief pre-Broadway run at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston in February 2020, two years prior to its opening. The production starred Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker and was directed by John Benjamin Hickey. The production ran for 110 performances and closed on July 10, 2022.
An Act Of God, starring Jim Parsons. Written by David Javerbaum, the production played Studio 54. The director was Joe Mantello. May 7, 2015 - August 2, 2015.[8] A six-week engagement of the play starring Sean Hayes played at the CTG/Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles on January 30, 2016.[9] The production starring Sean Hayes then played a three-week engagement at the SHN/Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco from March 29, 2016 - April 17, 2016.[10]
As the Vice President and Executive Producer of Theater at The Kennedy Center, Finn oversees all of the presented Broadway tours and Kennedy Center produced theater shows. In the 2017/18 season he launched Broadway Center Stage, a series of semi-staged musicals featuring talent and creative teams direct from Broadway. For the 2022/23 season, he further developed the series by turning the shows into fully-realized productions.
tick, tick...BOOM! by Jonathan Larson. Directed by Neil Patrick Harris and choreographed by Paul McGill, with music direction by Ben Cohn. Starring Brandon Uranowitz as Jon, Denee Benton as Susan/Karessa and Grey Henson as Michael. The Broadway Center Stage production featured new orchestrations and vocal arrangements by Stephen Oremus, which expanded the show and added four additional ensemble members. The show was critically acclaimed and ran for 11 exclusive performances January 26–February 4, 2024 in the Eisenhower Theater.
Guys & Dolls, by Frank Loesser, book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. Starring Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart as Nathan Detroit, Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller as Adelaide, Tony Award nominee Phillipa Soo as Sarah Brown, Steven Pasquale as Skye Masterson. Also featuring Kevin Chamberlin as Nicely Nicely Johnson and Rachel Dratch as Big Julie. Directed by Marc Bruni and choreographed by Denis Jones. The show was critically acclaimed and ran for 10 exclusive performances October 7–16, 2022 in the Eisenhower Theater. The show was declared as a critic's pick #1 Best of Theatre by The Washington Post in 2022.[23]
The 2019 Kennedy Center Gala with Idina Menzel,[29] starring Tony Award winner Idina Menzel. The Kennedy Center Gala Celebrating the Human Spirit honored Forest Whitaker, Pat Ryan (executive) and Shirley W. Ryan and their distinguished guests. April 3, 2019.
Byhalia, Mississippi, directed by Kimberly Senior, and written by Evan Linder.[30] June 7, 2019 - July 7, 2019.
Finn is co-author of Game Show, which he produced off-Broadway at the 45 Bleecker Theatre. It opened on October 25, 2000.[34] A production at Harrah'sShowboat Casino opened on July 6, 2002. The play was translated into French for a Canadian production outside Montreal, as well as a Toronto sit-down engagement.
Finn is also a co-producer of the Ain't Too Proud U.S National Tour, as well as the London West End production. Ain't Too Proud opened in London on April 20, 2023.
