Theatre artist - educator
A modernized and queer reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, my production re-imagined the iconic lovers as a gay and lesbian couple. First premiered at the cell in Chelsea in 2011, this very successful adaptation was remounted in 2012 at the award-winning Theater for the New City. This re-imagination of Shakespeare’s original reframed the central conflict to promote marriage equality and explore issues of gender and power in modern America. The production was timed to perform concurrently with the passage of the Marriage Equality Act in New York State. The production received great critical and audience acclaim.
"A forest of sexual fetishes; two gay marriages and a cross-dressing Titania and Oberon."
--Pia Catton, The Wall Street Journal
“Time Out NY Critics’ Pick! Don’t miss The Hive’s top-notch cross-gender take on Shakespeare’s forest farce.”
--Time Out New York
“…it is easily the most persuasive and compelling Midsummer of the dozen I have seen."
--Show Business Weekly
“Director Matthew A.J. Gregory deserves praise for his ground-breaking interpretation of this play… A MUST SEE!”
--nytheatre.com
“The timing of this gender-bending version of Shakespeare's ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ couldn't be more appropriate given New York State's recent legislation for same-sex marriage.”
--Back Stage Magazine
“From the moment the lights go down, it is evident that this is not your 10th grade English class' Shakespeare…a unique adaptation”
--Broadway World
“Immensely enjoyable…with wit and wicked imagination, director Matthew A.J. Gregory challenges marriage inequality”
--The Advocate
My 2009 adaptation of Moliere’s satire THE HYPOCHONDRIAC, which premiered at the cell in Chelsea, highlighted the ills of our pill-popping culture and lack of universal health care as a basic human right. We even replaced Moliere's traditional intermezzi with faux pharmaceutical ads, like the video for 'Halonex' you can watch on this page.
The production earned two New York Innovative Theatre Award nominations.
“The Hypochondriac is as grand and glorious a farce as I've ever seen. It deserves the exposure that a long run on Broadway would give it, and maybe some insightful producer will check it out and make that happen. Till then, it's a highlight of the indie fall season. If you're in the mood to laugh a lot, this may be the best medicine to take.”
--Martin Denton, nytheatre.com
"Throughout, director Gregory lets the hilarity unfold organically while keeping the action moving."
--Flavorpill
"The real joy of the show was witnessing a kind of comedic brilliance that we don’t see frequently in modern shows...this cast brought the work to life with the perfect blend of vaudevillian slapstick, tight delivery and genuine acting chops. Moliere’s characters are stereotypes, but in The Hypochondriac, they become real in a way that is simultaneously comfortingly familiar and piercingly refreshing. In short: I LOVED LOVED LOVED this show for its ability to entertain, offer social commentary, and remind me of how essential classical theatre is."
--Rachel Balik, Pop Matters
"Why does this bold company call itself "The Cell"? Their performance space is a converted luxury apartment, and even if it were a prison, nightly entertainments like The Hypochondriac would quickly encourage even the grumpiest of theatergoers to lock themselves in and throw away the key...Gregory masterfully uses the natural sight lines of the space, then squeezes every joke he can out of it. Carpets are slipped on, pills are ravenously ingested, the bathroom is used (as is the bar), always with the audience just a few feet away. Ironically, the quality of The Hypochondriac makes a strong case for unnecessary medicine: nobody needs to see this play, but you'll absolutely be sold on wanting to go back again and again and again."
--Aaron Riccio, That Sounds Cool
An earlier iteration of my adaptation of THE HYPOCHONDRIAC, this modernized version of Moliere's satire explores the ills of our modern American health care system. THE IMAGINARY INVALID premiered at the cell in Chelsea in 2009.
"...the single funniest performance I've seen on stage all year (maybe in several years)."
--Martin Denton, nytheatre.com