22 Quotes by Jack O'Brien

It's a big Vegas-style finale, with the entire orchestra onstage and the lights going into the house. We want energy washed over the house.

It's kind of simple, really. We couldn't leave those kids. I don't know if we didn't have our priorities right or what. But those kids mean everything to us.

You try to make a point that it's not just about basketball. But sometimes you can't win.

A lot of my friends told me that I'd get over that ... that it would go away. We did everything we could to them ... talked to them, took them to McDonald's ... but it just dawned on us that we meant too much to them. In the end, we felt we were leaving them hanging.

When I looked at the skeleton of 'Damn Yankees,' I saw an indestructible story, absolutely original characters, one of the freshest, sassiest American scores of the century, and some outmoded equipment.

When you realize that the uncut 'Porgy and Bess' started me off, that I'd have the opportunity to do a ton of 'Stoppard,' 'Hairspray,' that I'm able to do 'Il Trittico' at the Met - how do I top that?

I did an 'Our Town' in San Diego in the seventies with amateurs that I can tear up just thinking about.

I weave the company into what we laughingly call 'Jack's novel.' I write this novel for them about who they are and what's going on in their world. When I had 90 people in 'Porgy and Bess,' each had a story, history and family relationship.

The single most important thing that I feel responsible for is that the company cherishes the work.