This production was first presented at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and won the 2002 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Musical.
The reviewer for The Globe and Mail wrote: "Griffin's production has an electric charge that keeps the hairs on your skin tingling from start to finish, thanks to two incredible leads cast as the star-crossed lovers Tony and Maria and Rick Fox's assertive musical direction.
[13][18] Griffin has received eight Joseph Jefferson Awards for directing and has twice been named a "Chicagoan of the Year in the Arts" by the Chicago Tribune.
[19] Regarding his work at Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace, the Chicago Tribune wrote: "Gary Griffin is rapidly establishing himself as one of the most versatile--and busiest--directors on the local theater scene.
As artistic director at Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace, he has faithfully re-created an impressive roster of vintage musicals in recent seasons, while somehow finding time to moonlight in contemporary drama for such groups as Apple Tree, Pegasus Players and Buffalo Theatre Ensemble.