Credit: Margaret FoxJack Viertel, Senior Vice-President Emeritus of Broadway’s Jujamcyn Theaters, has also served as the company’s Creative Director, in charge of overseeing the development of new projects for the company's five Broadway theaters beginning in 1987, including five of August Wilson’s legendary ten–play “Century Cycle”, beginning with the Pulitzer Prize-winning THE PIANO LESSON. His earliest shows for Jujamcyn were the original production of INTO THE WOODS and M. BUTTERFLY. He has been instrumental in bringing many Tony winning new plays, musicals and revivals to Jujamcyn’s theaters, including ANGELS IN AMERICA, Jerry Zaks’s legendary production of GUYS AND DOLLS, GRAND HOTEL, CITY OF ANGELS, JELLY'S LAST JAM, the Brian Dennehy production of DEATH OF A SALESMAN, PROOF, DOUBT, THE PRODUCERS, BOOK OF MORMON, LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION! And TAKE ME OUT. He produced the Patti Lupone revival of GYPSY and the critically acclaimed revival of FINIAN’S RAINBOW. He was a co-producer and conceiver of the longest running musical revue in Broadway history, SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE, the conceiver of the critically acclaimed AFTER MIDNIGHT, and served as the dramaturg for HAIRSPRAY, DEAR EVAN HANSEN, A CHRISTMAS STORY and THE OUTSIDERS. The musical and movie THE PROM were developed from his original concept.
From 2000 to 2020 he also served as Artistic Director of the Tony-honored Encores! series at New York City Center, where he has overseen the presentation of over 70 productions including such shows as DAMN YANKEES, JUNO, FOLLIES, LOST IN THE STARS, HOUSE OF FLOWERS, 1776, FOLLIES, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, THE MOST HAPPY FELLA, and MACK & MABEL. In that capacity he reconstructed Cole Porter’s lost musical THE NEW YORKERS and invented a celebration of Broadway revues from the Ziegfeld Follies through New Faces of ’52 called STAIRWAY TO PARADISE. Both productions were New York Times “critics picks”.
In 2016 he published the New York Times bestseller THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN MUSICAL which remains a perennial favorite of musical theater programs in colleges and universities across America and is currently being developed as a theatrical evening for the Pops Orchestras. In 2024 he published his first novel, BROADWAY MELODY. He’s given master classes in the United States, Ireland and England from the National Theatre of Great Britain to the University of Alabama, The University of Ireland at Galway and appeared at many musical theater festivals in the United States and Canada.
He is also the author of the book for the musical TIME AND AGAIN, based on Jack Finney's novel, spent two years as the dramaturg of the Mark Taper Forum, in Los Angeles, and was the chief theater critic and arts editor of the Los Angeles Herald Examiner from 1980-85. He got his professional start playing National steel-bodied bottleneck guitar behind Bonnie Raitt, Son House and The Pointer Sisters. He is a Certified Memphis-in-May barbecue judge.
Jack Viertel Encores! productions as Artistic Director (2001-2020)
A Connecticut Yankee – Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Lorenz Hart
Bloomer Girl – Music by Harold Arlen, Lyrics by Yip Harburg
Hair – Music by Galt MacDermot, Lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado
Carnival – Music and Lyrics by Bob Merrill
Golden Boy – Music by Charles Strouse, Lyrics by Lee Adams
The Pajama Game – Music and Lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross
House of Flowers – Music by Harold Arlen, Lyrics by Truman Capote and Harold Arlen
The New Moon – Music by Sigmund Romberg, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank
Mandell and Laurence Schwab
No Strings – Music and Lyrics by Richard Rodgers
Can-Can – Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter
Pardon My English – Music by George Gershwin, Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Bye Bye Birdie – Music by Charles Strouse, Lyrics by Lee Adams
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Music by Arthur Schwartz, Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
Purlie – Music by Gary Geld, Lyrics by Peter Udell
The Apple Tree – Music by Jerry Bock, Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Kismet – Music and Lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest (based on themes by
Alexander Borodin)
70, Girls, 70 – Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Of Thee I Sing – Music by George Gershwin, Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Follies – Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Face the Music – Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
Stairway to Paradise – Music and Lyrics by multiple artists
Applause – Music by Charles Strouse, Lyrics by Lee Adams
Juno – Music and Lyrics by Marc Blitzstein
No, No, Nanette – Music by Vincent Youmans, Lyrics by Irving Caesar
On the Town – Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Music in the Air – Music by Jerome Kern, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Finian’s Rainbow – Music by Burton Lane, Lyrics by Yip Harburg
Girl Crazy – Music by George Gershwin, Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Fanny – Music and Lyrics by Harold Rome
Anyone Can Whistle – Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Bells Are Ringing – Music by Jule Styne, Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Lost in the Stars – Music by Kurt Weill, Lyrics by Maxwell Anderson
Where’s Charley? – Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Merrily We Roll Along – Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
On Your Toes – Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Lorenz Hart
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes – Music by Jule Styne, Lyrics by Leo Robin
Fiorello! – Music by Jerry Bock, Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman – Music by Charles Strouse, Lyrics by Lee Adams
Pipe Dream – Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Little Me – Music by Cy Coleman, Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh
The Most Happy Fella – Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Irma La Douce – Music by Marguerite Monot, Lyrics by Julian More, David Heneker and
Monty Norman
Lady, Be Good! – Music by George Gershwin, Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Paint Your Wagon – Music by Frederick Loewe, Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Zorba! – Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Cabin in the Sky – Music by Vernon Duke, Lyrics by John Latouche
1776 – Music and Lyrics by Sherman Edwards
Do I Hear a Waltz? – Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Big River – Music and Lyrics by Roger Miller
The New Yorkers – Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter
The Golden Apple – Music by Jerome Moross, Lyrics by John Latouche
Hey, Look Me Over! – Music and Lyrics by various artists
Grand Hotel – Music and Lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest, additional
Music and Lyrics by Maury Yeston
Me and My Girl – Music by Noel Gay, Lyrics by L. Arthur Rose and Douglas Furber
Call Me Madam – Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
I Married an Angel – Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Lorenz Hart
High Button Shoes – Music by Jule Styne, Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Mack & Mabel – Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman
Gypsy – Music by Jule Styne, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Annie Get Your Gun – Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
Damn Yankees – Music and Lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross
The Wiz – Music and Lyrics by Charlie Smalls
Brigadoon – Music by Frederick Loewe, Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Love Life – Music by Kurt Weill, Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner