A Class Act
Robert Greenblatt is the President of Entertainment at Showtime Networks, Inc. He has been the executive producer for more than a dozen television programs including Six Feet Under, which won the 2001 Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Series, American Family, which is the first-ever Latino primetime drama on broadcast television, The Chronicle and The Hughleys. Prior to heading Showtime, Greenblatt worked for the FOX network for eight years as the head of programming. He went to high school and has remained friends with some very talented and famous people from Rockford, Illinois. Here, Greenblatt discusses why he decided to make his debut as a Broadway producer with Mario Cantone's riotous solo show Laugh Whore. Hint: it has something to do with Tony-winning director Joe Mantello.
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Several times within the last year, uber director Joe Mantello--fresh off two back-to-back Tony Awards wins for Take Me Out and Assassins--told me to keep an eye on Mario Cantone. I certainly knew about Mario from his acting roles on Broadway Love, Valor, Compassion! and Assassins as well as his hilarious recurring role on Sex and the City, but I didn't know much about his one-man show, Laugh Whore. Joe told me it was phenomenal and that Mario has really come into his own as a performer, which is high praise from someone who knows what he's talking about. So, as the president of Showtime, I told Joe that if he had time in his schedule to direct the show, we'd film it as a comedy special for the network. And now Laugh Whore opens on Broadway on October 24, and we're not only filming it to be aired later in 2005, but we're also the producing entity behind the show on Broadway.
A little more background: Joe and I went to high school together in Rockford, Illinois some 25 years ago, and along with some other noteworthy Broadway success stories including Marin Mazzie and Jodie Benson, we all worked our asses off together in dozens of plays and musicals. One after another. Guys and Dolls one minute, You Can't Take It With You the next. We were literally steeped in theater, and we all dreamed of working on Broadway or in the movies.
After college, I went west to Hollywood. Years ago I was head of programming at the FOX network responsible for shows like 90210, Melrose Place and The X Files, then became a producer Six Feet Under. And now that I'm running Showtime, I'm always looking for unique projects for our premium channel, things you wouldn't see on any other network. Joe, of course, headed east to New York after college, but we've remained close friends and undying supporters of each other's work over the years. I've marveled at his acting Angels in America and been no less blown away by his directing. We all knew in high school he had the "stuff" for the big leagues, but it's still exciting to see him at the top of his game.
The chance to actually work together again, was too good to pass up. I figured that if we had the best director on Broadway--who's also my friend--and one of the most gifted comedian/actor/impressionists working today, what more do you need? Mario is the kind of actor who is classically trained and incredibly disciplined, yet makes the comedy look effortless. He has an amazing grasp on pop culture, his observations about New York City and the world at large are spot-on, and if that weren't enough, he sings a slew of original musical numbers that would throw even the hardest-working performer for a loop. Oh, and did I mention he has people rolling in the aisles every night? That, in and of itself, is a rare thing.
Mario is unique. Joe is unique. Nothing makes me happier than to be associated with this show, not only because it's in a class by itself, but because my old friend thinks it's a great idea. And that's enough for me.