Richard Greenberg, the playwright behind Take Me Out, Three Days of Rain and Eastern Standard, has died. He was 67.
The Tony winner’s death was announced on social media, where several people in the theater world have since reacted to his passing, including Denis O’Hare, who won a Tony for originating the role of gay accountant Mason Marzac in Take Me Out when it debuted in London back in 2002.
“Hard to believe the genius that was Richard Greenberg is no more,” he captioned a photo of the two of them. “I owe him more than I could possibly say. He gave me the greatest gift ever–a beautiful character to inhabit in a beautiful play.”
O’Hare continued, “He also gave me 2 of my best friends–Lisa Peterson and Linda Emond. We all met and worked on Rich’s one act-The Author’s Voice at Remains Theatre in 1987 in a festival of one acts called ‘Sneaky Feelings’. I have a sneaky feeling of grief mixed with gratitude for this man. RIP Rich.”
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who also won a Tony when he played Mason in Broadway‘s 2022 revival of the play, wrote on his Instagram Story, “Rest in peace Richard. You gave this world so much.”
Theater director Robert Falls also reacted to Greenberg’s passing after they were “deep in collaboration on his gorgeous adaptation” of Philip Barry’s Holiday, which he called a “profound loss mid-process” ahead of its premiere at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre in February.
“Heartbroken by the news of playwright Richard Greenberg’s death,” wrote Falls on Bluesky, adding: “For over 30 years, it’s been one of life’s great pleasures to know Rich and his writing. Dazzling, humane, wildly funny. … He was also one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. But he wore that brilliance lightly—often cloaked in hilarity, or tossed off in the driest, most devastating line at dinner. His kindness was real. His loss is enormous.”
Born Feb. 22, 1958 in New York City, Greenberg graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University, where he studied creative writing under Joyce Carol Oates.
In addition to his Tony-winning work on Take Me Out, Greenberg was known for penning such plays as The Dazzle, The American Plan, Life Under Water and The Author’s Voice, as well as the 2013 Broadway adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the book for the musical Far From Heaven.
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