Jeffrey Whitty was a server at Joe Allen in the early 90’s, which explains the “hometown” pride we felt when he won the 2004 Tony for his hilarious book to the smash hit musical, Avenue Q. He’s worked on lots of fascinating stage and film projects since then, but this week's episode marked the first time any of us met him--it became clear within moments of talking that he's a guy we would have LOVED marrying ketchups near. During this irreverent and hilarious conversation, we touched upon his love of authentic New York bar and restaurant culture, his very specific definition of taste, the extreme highs (and lows) inherent in developing new works for the stage, and how “rigorous bitchery” can improve almost any professional undertaking.
Jeffrey Whitty has written the books for several stage musicals including Tales From the City, Bring It On:The Musical, and the smash hit Avenue Q for which he won the 2004 Tony Award. He is also co-author of the screenplay for Can You Ever Forgive Me?, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. In addition to his writing, Jeffrey is an accomplished actor and appeared in the films Lisa Picard is Famous and Shortbus, written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell.