Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth Interview with Jeff Calhoun, Acclaimed Broadway Director, Choreographer & Producer.
Jeff Calhoun, is a highly acclaimed director, choreographer and producer who’s brought us some of the most beloved and iconic Broadway shows.
As a dancer he appeared in the first national tour of “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”, and he made his Broadway debut in “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”, and then replaced Tommy Tune for a limited engagement, co-starring with Twiggy in “My One and Only”.
He’s directed and/or choreographed many Broadway shows including “The Will Rogers Follies”, for which his collaboration with Tommy Tune won the Tony Award for Best Choreography. He also brought us the first Broadway revival of “Grease”, for which he earned a Drama Desk Award nomination AND a Tony Award nomination for Best Choreography, “Annie Get Your Gun”, “Big River”, for which he received the Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre, and TWO Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for Best Director and Best Choreography, “Grey Gardens”, “Bonnie and Clyde”, for which he won TWO San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Awards for Best Director of a Musical AND Outstanding New Musical, “Jekyll and Hyde”, and “Newsies”, for which he earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Musical.
Jeff Calhoun has brought groundbreaking productions to the world famous Deaf West Theatre in Los Angeles, including “Oliver”, “Big River” and “Pippin”. And he also directed the world premiere of the first original American Sign Language musical, “Sleeping Beauty Wakes”, for which he won the 2007 Ovation Award for Best World Premiere Musical.
He also directed both the world premiere and international stage productions of “Disney’s High School Musical” and “Disney’s High School Musical 2”. And he directed the national tours of 2 immensely popular shows: “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas”, and “Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5: The Musical”.
Harvey Brownstone is a retired judge of the Ontario Court of Justice and was the first openly gay judge in Canada. He is also the bestselling author of “Tug of War: A Judge’s Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles and the Bitter Realities of Family Court” and hosted “Family Matters with Justice Harvey Brownstone,” a television talk show on matters involving the family justice system.
After a distinguished legal career, Harvey was appointed a judge at the age of 38 in 1995. He has presided in family and criminal courts. He has been a trailblazer in several ways. He was the first openly gay judge in Canada. He was the first sitting judge in the world to write a national best seller and to host a TV talk show.
Harvey has been a role model and icon in the LGBTQ community. When same-sex marriage was legalized in Canada in 2003, he was the only judge to make himself publicly available to officiate at weddings for lesbian and gay couples travelling to Toronto from all over the world to get married. In 2007, he officiated at the wedding of Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer, the American couple whose marriage triggered the 2013 United States Supreme Court decision overturning the definition of “spouse” in the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
In February 2021, Harvey launched his online talk show “Harvey Brownstone Interviews” on his own YouTube channel. He saw this as an interesting hobby. Within several months, the show attracted hundreds of thousands – and then eventually, millions – of viewers. Because of the overwhelming success of the show, Harvey decided to retire from the judiciary on December 31, 2021 after having presided as a full-time judge for 26 1/2 years. Free from the constraints imposed upon judges regarding the expression of opinions and the endorsement of private enterprise, Harvey now happily devotes his full-time attention to hosting “Harvey Brownstone Interviews” as a regular member of the public – albeit one with a rather illustrious and unique career history.
Watch Jeff Calhoun on Harvey Brownstone Interviews on Youtube here:
https://youtu.be/9qTSFvSlugc?si=Vq-uXe0ldd4bTToR
The official website for Harvey Brownstone Interviews may be found at https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com
Get “The Talk Show Blend” – Coffee For The Modern Day Trailblazer! By Harvey Brownstone from Breakfast At Dominique’s available at https://www.HollywoodBlends.com
For more information about Harvey Brownstone, here’s his Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Brownstone