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The Guardian
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Richard Greenberg obituary
The American playwright Richard Greenberg, who has died aged 67 of cancer, was an accomplished and prolific chronicler of the lives of young, upwardly mobile professionals in the 1980s – he himself had first wanted to be an architect. In doing so, he moved American new playwriting on from the era of Sam Shepard and David Mamet; he had no particular axes to grind, and he wrote beautifully. Every time you saw a play of his – he was once dubbed 'the American Noël Coward' – you understood why his household gods were Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James and Edith Wharton. He was serious, literate, engaging and enlightened. In his breakthrough play, Eastern Standard (1988), he anatomised a yuppie quartet of best friends and siblings sorting out their relationships as they moved from Manhattan to a summer house on Long Island. And he did so in a becalmed atmosphere of guilt-ridden privilege that got some critics' collective goats. I saw Eastern Standard in the same Broadway season as AR Gurney's The Cocktail Hour and Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles. All three plays reverted to classical structure and narrative in middle-class environments turning their backs on Greenwich Village, political protest and scabrous social behaviour. He told the New York Times in 1988: 'The idea that the moral and personal lives of the middle-class do not constitute a subject worthy of consideration is a kind of fascism to me, a censoriousness saying that we know everything there is to know about them.' And it is certainly true that he jabbed and poked beneath the surface of his characters' lives with uncommon skill, revealing complex layers. Many of Greenberg's plays (and there were over 30) were set in Manhattan and the socioeconomic satellites of the Hamptons and the Catskills. But his own personal style and demeanour were secretive, withdrawn, uncooperative. As he admitted in a Daily Telegraph interview in 2009: 'I love the moment when you just have the dress rehearsal, when no one's there; that's kind of the peak to me. When people start filing in, I like to file out.' All the same, he won the Tony best play award in 2003 for Take Me Out – world premiered in London at the Donmar Warehouse in 2002 – a play about a major league baseball player coming out as gay that wittily addressed the subject of bigotry and homophobia in sport. Again, he did not tub-thump; he moved gracefully through the arguments. The Donmar had also presented – in 1999 – the clever and absorbing Three Days of Rain (1997), charting the fleshly appetites and passion in two overlapping triangular love stories, with a great cast of Colin Firth, Elizabeth McGovern and David Morrissey. The play was triumphantly revived on Broadway in 2006 with a trio of Paul Rudd, Julia Roberts and Bradley Cooper. Greenberg was born in Green Meadow, Long Island, New York, to Shirley (nee Levine) and Leon Greenberg, an executive for a chain of movie theatres. He graduated from Princeton with a degree in English in 1980 and enrolled in Harvard's doctoral programme on literature before transferring to the Yale school of drama for the playwriting course. There, he wrote The Bloodletters (1984), about a Jewish teenager on Long Island who develops a rare disease that makes him smell like a dirty bathroom. The New York Times critic Frank Rich, a notable champion of his, said that the play was 'so daffily conceived that one must admire its promising author's antic spin of mind even when he is straining too hard'. He signed a contract with the South Coast repertory in California, where several of his plays were first presented. Other important forcing houses in the early days were the Seattle Rep and the Manhattan Theatre club, both springboarding Eastern Standard to Broadway. Patently using James's Washington Square (in its theatrical format of The Heiress), Greenberg wrote The American Plan (1990) as a pungent, melancholic mother and daughter drama of great psychological and narrative ingenuity. Set in the Catskills in the 1960s, it was hailed as 'an absolute cracker' by Michael Billington when receiving its British premiere in 2013 at the Theatre Royal, Bath, directed by David Grindley and outstandingly well-acted by Diana Quick as the Mittel European Jewish refugee and Emily Taaffe as her daughter Lili Adler, a young heiress scarred by mental illness. The last play of his I saw, an extraordinary one, was The Dazzle (2002), presented in 2015 by the Michael Grandage company, directed by Simon Evans, in a pop-up theatre in the former Central Saint Martins school on the Charing Cross Road. The play is based on a true story of two brothers – or at least their decomposing corpses – found in 1947 in their clutter-rammed family home in New York. It had taken a team of people weeks to clear their hoard – books, instruments, newspapers. And it was from this posthumous view of the brothers that Greenberg looked back. He fictionalised what their lives could have been, inspired by the possibilities of how the two men could have arrived in such a sorry state. Andrew Scott played, brilliantly, the eccentric pianist, Langley, David Dawson, equally superb, his accountant brother, Homer. The play was set in a small room with a grand piano – relatively uncluttered to begin with – but as the story unfolded the room began to cramp with crap. A bohemian hostess, played by a beautifully poised Joanna Vanderham, entered their world, almost marrying Langley, then much later almost marrying Homer, before the brothers were left alone, hidden from society, dirty and dying, surrounded by their accumulated memorabilia and detritus. The savagery of these biographies fully exposed the streak of jaundiced melancholia and dissatisfaction running through most of Greenberg's characters' lives, the downside to their wealth and privilege. It is impossible not to deduce there was something of this about Greenberg himself, the fuel to his writing. He is survived by his brother, Edward. Richard Greenberg, playwright, born 22 February 1958, died 4 July 2025
Business Wire
18-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Congressman Scott Fitzgerald Tours Former Grade School Transformed Into Housing, Leads Discussion on Challenges for Seniors and Our Workforce
MUSKEGO, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--U.S. Representative Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) joined with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (FHLBank Chicago) and local leaders today for a discussion of the housing affordability challenges facing communities across Wisconsin. Following a tour of a former Muskego grade school that has been redeveloped into low-cost housing, the roundtable discussion brought together representatives from Associated Bank, the Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development, Inc. and Commonwealth Development Corporation of America to share their insights and explore solutions to the rising cost of housing statewide. The tour highlighted the success of the Muskego School Apartments, a former grade school redeveloped into affordable housing units by the Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development, Inc. and Commonwealth Development Corporation of America. The project received a $510,000 grant from FHLBank Chicago's Affordable Housing Program (AHP) General Fund, sponsored by its member Associated Bank. The project is an example of the unique adaptive reuse of an empty school into a place to call home for area seniors, families, and individuals with disabilities. 'Today's roundtable was an important opportunity to hear directly from the people working every day to expand access to working family housing in the greater Milwaukee area,' said Congressman Scott Fitzgerald. 'Meeting these housing needs requires more than just funding; it takes collaboration to ensure every Wisconsinite has a safe, stable place to call home. Thanks to local partners like FHLBank Chicago, Associated Bank, and the Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development, Inc., we're solving housing issues right here in Muskego.' Located just one block from Little Muskego Lake, the apartment project expands access to affordable housing in a community where economic disparities and aging housing stock have resulted in limited availability of residential homes and buildings. This development is especially vital for senior residents living on fixed incomes, offering them housing designed for ease and independence. 'Reusing existing buildings like the former Muskego Elementary School for affordable housing in Milwaukee is a powerful investment in the city's resilience and future,' said Todd Mandel, Executive Director, Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development, Inc. 'The AHP funding from FHLBank Chicago helped create homes that offer residents a peaceful setting, modern amenities, and close access to the community and downtown.' 'Our partnership with Associated Bank and community partners exemplifies how collaboration and innovation can transform communities through improving access to housing,' said Michael Ericson, President and CEO, FHLBank Chicago. 'Affordable housing is the cornerstone of resilient communities, and our AHP grants are helping to solve critical housing issues in areas with the highest need.' 'Associated Bank is proud to play an active role in helping our communities grow and prosper," said Stefanie Bachrach, Senior Vice President with Associated Community Development, LLC, the bank's community development corporation. 'Strategic partnerships between the housing leaders gathered here today show that we have a shared vision to create opportunities for individuals and families to share the rewards of building economic and housing stability in our communities.' For additional information about FHLBank Chicago's AHP General Fund, please visit About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago FHLBank Chicago is a regional bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System. FHLBanks are government-sponsored enterprises created by Congress to ensure access to low-cost funding for their member financial institutions, with a focus on providing solutions that support the housing and community development needs of members' customers. FHLBank Chicago is a self-capitalizing cooperative, owned by its Illinois and Wisconsin members, including commercial banks, credit unions, insurance companies, savings institutions and community development financial institutions. To learn more about FHLBank Chicago, please visit About Associated Banc-Corp Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE: ASB) has total assets of $43 billion and is the largest bank holding company based in Wisconsin. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Associated is a leading Midwest banking franchise, offering a full range of financial products and services from nearly 200 banking locations serving more than 100 communities throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri. The company also operates loan production offices in Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Texas. Associated Bank, N.A. is an Equal Housing Lender, Equal Opportunity Lender and Member FDIC. More information about Associated Banc-Corp is available at About Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development, Inc. The Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development, Inc. is committed to housing for everyone because it's essential for building healthy communities. We build effective public-private partnerships to expand access to affordable housing options. We do this by directly developing quality housing and by consulting with local groups to provide them with the expertise and capacity to expand affordable housing in their communities. About Commonwealth Development Corporation of America Commonwealth Development Corporation of America (CDC) is a leading, majority woman-owned national developer of affordable, workforce, and senior housing. Committed to creating high-quality housing that strengthens neighborhoods and communities, CDC has developed more than 125 projects and over 8,000 units since its founding in 2001. The firm is consistently ranked among the top affordable housing developers in the country.
New York Times
27-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
House Panel Subpoenas Harvard in Tuition-Pricing Inquiry
The House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Harvard on Thursday in its investigation into whether Ivy League universities have coordinated their pricing, turning up pressure on a school already in an all-out battle with the Trump administration. In the subpoena letter, Representatives Jim Jordan, the Ohio Republican who is chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Scott Fitzgerald, a Wisconsin Republican who leads a key subcommittee, demanded documents and communications about the university's tuition and financial aid by July 17. They said they were issuing the subpoena after Harvard's response to an earlier request for information was 'inadequate' and 'substantively deficient,' with much of the material that was turned over already publicly available. Harvard disputed the committee's assessment. 'We are disappointed that the committee has chosen to issue a subpoena and believe it is unwarranted, unfair and unnecessary,' said Jason Newton, a Harvard spokesman. He added that the university 'has produced thousands of pages of documents regarding our tuition setting process and financial aid program.' The subpoena threatened to break open yet another front in what has become a sprawling legal battle between Harvard and Republicans in Washington. The Trump administration has sought to punish the university for not acceding to its demands as President Trump pushes to shift the ideological tilt of the higher education system. The university has been the target of investigations from at least six federal agencies, and the administration has already tried to cut off billions of dollars in federal funding and block international students from attending Harvard, among other measures. Courts have halted many of the Trump administration's actions, and the university has become a symbol of resistance for not bowing to Mr. Trump. But Harvard officials have concluded their legal victories alone may not be enough to protect the university and are debating whether they might be able to reach a deal with the administration. The House Judiciary Committee had originally sought information in a letter to Harvard on April 8, alleging that Ivy League schools were 'collectively raising tuition prices' in breach of antitrust laws and were 'engaging in perfect price discrimination by offering selective financial aid packages to maximize profits.' They requested a large swath of documents between Harvard, other Ivy League schools and the College Board that contained any communication related to tuition, financial aid and admission practices. As part of the request, the committee asked for any documents related to the 568 Presidents Group, a collection of universities that worked to provide similar tuition prices and financial aid. The organization was dissolved in 2022 amid a class-action lawsuit. Harvard was not involved in the group or in the lawsuit. In an attempt to address its high tuition, Harvard announced in March that students whose families earned less than $100,000 could attend the school for free, while those whose families earn less than $200,000 would not have to pay the cost of tuition.
CNA
27-06-2025
- Politics
- CNA
US House committee subpoenas Harvard over tuition costs
The US House Judiciary Committee sent a subpoena to Harvard University on Thursday (Jun 26) seeking documents and communications for its probe into tuition costs and financial aid for Ivy League students. A letter to Harvard President Alan Garber, signed by committee chairman Jim Jordan and US Representative Scott Fitzgerald, both Republicans, described Harvard's response to previous requests for documents as inadequate and said the committee needs the documents "to fulfil its oversight and legislative responsibilities". A spokesperson for Harvard said in a statement: "We are disappointed that the Committee has chosen to issue a subpoena and believe it is unwarranted, unfair and unnecessary." It added: "There is no basis for an allegation of collusion in Harvard's setting of tuition and financial aid." The investigation into tuition is part of a larger fight between Harvard and the White House and Congress, including over cuts to federal funding and efforts to block foreign students from attending the university. President Donald Trump has said he is trying to force change at Harvard - and other top-level universities across the US - because in his view they have been captured by leftist "woke" thought and become bastions of antisemitism. The subpoena comes as part of an investigation by the Republican-controlled US House Judiciary Committee into whether Harvard and other Ivy League schools broke antitrust laws by raising tuition costs. "We are concerned that Ivy League member institutions appear to be collectively raising tuition prices while engaging in perfect price discrimination by offering selective financial aid packages to maximise profits," the letter to Harvard's Garber said. US Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee, called the investigation "plainly ridiculous" and "based on pathetically weak allegations". The Harvard spokesperson said the school has produced thousands of pages of documents on its tuition-setting process and financial aid. While the Judiciary Committee said it had received hundreds of requested documents, it added that some of them contained publicly available facts and lacked specific information that was desired.
Reuters
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US House committee subpoenas Harvard over tuition costs
June 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. House Judiciary Committee sent a subpoena to Harvard University on Thursday seeking documents and communications for its probe into tuition costs and financial aid for Ivy League students. A letter to Harvard President Alan Garber, signed by committee chairman Jim Jordan and U.S. Representative Scott Fitzgerald, both Republicans, described Harvard's response to previous requests for documents as inadequate and said the committee needs the documents "to fulfill its oversight and legislative responsibilities." A spokesperson for Harvard said in a statement: "We are disappointed that the Committee has chosen to issue a subpoena and believe it is unwarranted, unfair and unnecessary." It added: "There is no basis for an allegation of collusion in Harvard's setting of tuition and financial aid." The investigation into tuition is part of a larger fight between Harvard and the White House and Congress, including over cuts to federal funding and efforts to block foreign students from attending the university. President Donald Trump has said he is trying to force change at Harvard - and other top-level universities across the U.S. - because in his view they have been captured by leftist "woke" thought and become bastions of antisemitism. The subpoena comes as part of an investigation by the Republican-controlled U.S. House Judiciary Committee into whether Harvard and other Ivy League schools broke antitrust laws by raising tuition costs. "We are concerned that Ivy League member institutions appear to be collectively raising tuition prices while engaging in perfect price discrimination by offering selective financial aid packages to maximize profits," the letter to Harvard's Garber said. U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee, called the investigation "plainly ridiculous" and "based on pathetically weak allegations." The Harvard spokesperson said the school has produced thousands of pages of documents on its tuition-setting process and financial aid. While the Judiciary Committee said it had received hundreds of requested documents, it added that some of them contained publicly available facts and lacked specific information that was desired.
