Grumpy Old Men

Grumpy Old Men: The Musical is a stage musical with book by Dan Remmes songs composed by Neil Berg and lyrics by Nick Meglin. The music was orchestrated by Larry Hochman with additional orchestrations by Phil Reno. It is based on the 1993 Warner Bros. film Grumpy Old Men by Mark Steven Johnson which starred Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau and Ann-Margret. It tells the story of two childhood friends, John Gustafson and Max Goldman, now aging neighbors. An old grudge resurfaces when a mysterious woman moves in across the street. The musical premiered in the United States at the storied Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine in 2018. Its West Coast premiere was in Southern California at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts in 2019. Both premiere productions were directed by Matt Lenz and choreographed by Michele Lynch. Conception Grumpy Old Men: The Musical was the brainchild of actor/producer Jeff Gardner. With a goal to produce a Broadway musical, he felt the 1993 film Grumpy Old Men—with its midwestern backdrop and rich emotional story—was well-suited to musical adaptation. Gardner envisioned a traditional Golden Age musical with a strong book and old-style score. Gardner earned a limited option from both Warner Bros., the film's producer, and Mark Steven Johnson, the screenwriter.