MICHAEL GRUBER
� Michael Gruber was born on the first of November 1964 in Cincinnati, Ohio. For most of his adolescent years, he practiced diving, possibly working towards an Olympic career. He even became a National All-American for his diving, but that's as far as it went.
��� His sophomore year in college, he fell in love with theatre and decided to pursue study and a career on the stage instead of in the pool. He graduated from Indian Hill High School in 1982 and then went on to the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. From there he attended the University of Michigan. Since his college graduation, Michael has not been without theatrical work and is now world-renown for his acting, singing, and dancing abilities.
��� I suppose the big break for Michael was when he landed the role of 'Mike Costa' in the final company of A Chorus Line in 1989. This was Michael's Broadway debut and he has since gone on to be in the Broadway casts of Miss Saigon and My Favorite Year (which did not receive good reviews and hence closed soon after opening).
��� Now Michael was free to explore the fun and adventure of regional theatre. Some of the better known roles he had were 'Tom' in Good News at the Music Theatre of Wichita, and 'Don Lockwood' in Singin' in the Rain at the Papermill Playhouse. You can find recordings of both of these shows featuring Michael. With the toe-tappin', tap-dancin' lead of Singin' in the Rain, people began to take note that Michael's dancing ability was remarkable, even apart from his singing and acting talents.
��� When Michael auditioned for, and landed, the role of 'Munkustrap' in the popular Broadway musical, CATS, at the Winter Garden Theatre, he received more fans and a bigger following than ever before. On June 19, 1997, he celebrated with his fellow cast members when CATS became the longest running musical in Broadway history. His performance in the musically challenging feline role on the stage prompted the producers of the CATS video to seek him out to play 'Munkustrap' for the film screen as well. With this invitation (and acceptance) Michael was able to reach out and touch fans that may have never been able to see him live on the stage, but loved him on the screen nevertheless.
��� Since CATS, Michael has starred in several other shows. These include 'the Marquise de Sade' in The History of Sex (Las Vegas), the 'Tin Man' in The Wizard of Oz (Madison Square Gardens), Follies (Papermill Playhouse), and a recent Broadway tour as 'Cousin Kevin' in The Who's TOMMY. Currently Michael can be seen in the swingin', jivin' musical Swing! on Broadway.�
Productions Michael Gruber has been in:
A Chorus Line
Miss Saigon
My Favorite Year
Good News
Singin' in the Rain
CATS
The History of Sex
The Wizard of Oz
Follies
The Who's TOMMY
Swing! -currently
