Jeffrey Richards is the big man on Broadway

NEW YORK — On the opening night of the revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Desire Under the Elms," Kevin Spacey, Naomi Watts and a crush of theatergoers pressed into the St. James Theatre. But the man most instrumental in its transfer from Chicago's Goodman Theatre was nowhere to be seen. Finally, as the lights blinked final warning, lead producer Jeffrey Richards appeared, glad-handing the crowd of theater professionals. The snappy attire, including chic aviator sunglasses, seemed Richards' only concession to his new position as one of Broadway's most powerful producers.

"You have to search out Jeffrey on an opening night," said James Fuld, a businessman who's known Richards since they were classmates at a private school in the Bronx in the '60s. "People have this glamorous image of a Broadway producer. Jeffrey takes the subway."

The four-time Tony Award winner -- for the revivals of "Glengarry Glen Ross" and "The Pajama Game," the musical "Spring Awakening" and the drama "August: Osage County" -- will once again be a ubiquitous presence at tonight's Tony fest.

He has copped three producing nominations -- for best revival ("Hair"), best play (Neil LaBute's "Reasons to Be Pretty") and best special theatrical event (Will Ferrell's "You're Welcome, America: A Final Night With George W. Bush"). And in a less hotly competitive season, that tally might well have included three more critically acclaimed productions: "Desire Under the Elms" starring Brian Dennehy, Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit" and David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow." All told, his productions received six more Tony nominations in the acting categories: Raul Esparza ("Speed-the-Plow"), Thomas Sadoski and Marin Ireland ("Reasons to Be Pretty"), Gavin Creel and Will Swenson ("Hair") and the heavily favored Angela Lansbury ("Blithe Spirit").

Despite the proliferation of Tonys on his mantel, Richards appears less motivated by awards than the opportunity to work with his favorite artists, at least according to Mamet, who is usually astringent on the subject of producers. "He's brave and he's honorable," says the playwright, whose newest work, "Race," will be presented by Richards next season.

"Jeffrey doesn't say, 'I'd love to read your play.' He says, 'I'll do it.' And when I told him that I wanted 'November' to open on Broadway, he thought about it for 10 seconds and said, 'OK,' " he says. "That's tremendously freeing for a writer."