Nick Grosso is a British playwright, born in London in 1968 to Argentine parents of Italian and Russian extraction. His style has been described as that of a "latter-day Oscar Wilde on speed" by

Sheridan Morley Sheridan Morley (5 December 1941 − 16 February 2007) was an English author, biographer, critic and broadcaster. He was the official biographer of Sir John Gielgud and wrote biographies of many other theatrical figures he had known, includin ...

Career

In 1993, Grosso's monologue ''Mama Don't'' was produced by the Royal Court Young People's Theatre and put on at the

Commonwealth Institute The Commonwealth Education Trust is a registered charity established in 2007 as the successor trust to the Commonwealth Institute. The trust focuses on primary and secondary education and the training of teachers and invests on educational pro ...

, London. It was directed by Roxanna Silbert. A year later, his first stage play, ''Peaches'', was produced by the Royal Court Theatre in association with the Royal National Theatre Studio and put on at the Royal Court Theatre, London. It starred

Ben Chaplin Ben Chaplin (born Benedict John Greenwood; 31 July 1969)''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com is a British actor. He is best known for his roles in films, including ''The Truth About Cats & Dogs' ...

. According to Michael Billington, the season in which ''Peaches'' appeared (which also included ''

Blasted ''Blasted'' is the first play by the British author Sarah Kane. It was first performed in 1995 at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in London. Synopsis The play is set in an expensive hotel room in Leeds. Ian, a foul-mouthed middle-aged tabloid ...

'' by Sarah Kane) defined the historical importance of the Theatre Upstairs, a season of new writing masterminded by

Stephen Daldry Stephen David Daldry CBE (born 2 May 1960) is an English director and producer of film, theatre, and television. He has won three Olivier Awards for his work in the West End and three Tony Awards for his work on Broadway. He has received thr ...

. In 1996, Grosso's second stage play, ''Sweetheart'', was produced by the Royal Court Theatre and put on at the Royal Court Theatre, London, before embarking on a regional tour. It starred

Kate Beckinsale Kathrin Romany Beckinsale (born 26 July 1973) is an English actress and model. After some minor television roles, her film debut was ''Much Ado About Nothing'' (1993) while a student at the University of Oxford. She appeared in British costume ...

. In 1998, Grosso's third stage play, ''Real Classy Affair'', was produced by the Royal Court Theatre and put on at the Ambassadors Theatre, London. It starred

Joseph Fiennes Joseph Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (), known as Joseph Fiennes, is an English actor of film, stage, and television. Journalist Zoe Williams observed that "he seemed to be the go-to actor for English cultural history". Fiennes is particu ...

and

Nick Moran Nick Moran (born 23 December 1968 or 1969, sources differ) is an English actor and filmmaker, best known for his role as Eddie the card sharp in ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels''. He appeared as Scabior in ''Harry Potter and the Deathly H ...

. In 2000,

Matthew Rhys Matthew Rhys Evans ( ; born 8 November 1974) is a Welsh actor. He is known for playing Kevin Walker in '' Brothers & Sisters'' (2006–2011) and Philip Jennings in ''The Americans'' (2013–2018), for which he received two Golden Globe Awar ...

played the lead role in ''Peaches'', the film of the play written, it was also directed by Grosso. His fourth stage play, ''Kosher Harry'', was produced by the Royal Court Theatre and put on at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2002. It was directed by

Kathy Burke Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke (born 13 June 1964) is an English actress, comedian, writer, producer, and director. She achieved fame with her appearances on sketch shows such as ''French and Saunders'' (1988–1999) and her recurring role as Mag ...

and starred

Martin Freeman Martin John Christopher Freeman (born 8 September 1971) is an English actor. Among other accolades, he has won an Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Freeman's most not ...

. Since then, the

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. Roxana Silbert has been the artistic director since ...

in London has produced and put on three young people's plays by Grosso. In 2004, Grosso directed his monologue ''Killing Paul McCartney'' at the Assembly Rooms at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was produced by David Johnson and performed by

Jake Wood Jake Dylan Wood (born 12 July 1972) is an English actor and podcaster, known for his role as Max Branning in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. He has also made guest appearances in series including ''Only Fools and Horses'' and '' Red Dwarf'' ...

. The same year, Grosso was invited to participate in the inaugural 24 Hour Plays at the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

Theatre, London, hosted by artistic director

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolade ...

. In 2005, Grosso wrote ''A Play in Swedish English And Italian'' for the

Royal Dramatic Theatre The Royal Dramatic Theatre ( sv, Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, colloquially ''Dramaten'') is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's five running stages. The the ...

in Stockholm, produced by Elverket. Grosso's plays have received further productions in theatres such as the

Salisbury Playhouse Salisbury Playhouse is a theatre in the English city of Salisbury, Wiltshire. It was built in 1976 and comprises the 517-seat Main House and the 149-seat Salberg, a rehearsal room and a community & education space. It is part of Arts Council En ...

, other European countries, and American cities including New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Critical response

Grosso's work and role in contemporary theatre has been analysed in books such as ''State of Play'' by David Edgar ( Faber and Faber, November 1999), ''In-Yer-Face Theatre'' by

Aleks Sierz Aleks Sierz is a British theatre critic. He is known for coining the term " In-yer-face theatre", which was the title of a book he published in 2001. Sierz was educated at Manchester University and holds a PhD from Westminster University. He wo ...

, and ''The Full Room'' by

Dominic Dromgoole Dominic Dromgoole (born 25 October 1963)DROMGOOLE, Dominic Charles Flemi ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grosso, Nick 1968 births Living people British people of Argentine descent English people of Argentine descent English people of Italian descent English people of Russian descent British writers