Robert Ahrens

Robert Ahrens (born 1970)^[1] is a film and theatrical producer based in New York City.

Robert Ahrens
Born	1970 (age 54–55)
Education	Cornell University
Occupation(s)	Theatrical producer, film producer
Known for	Producer of the Tony-nominated musical Xanadu and Little Shop of Horrors

Early life and education

Ahrens grew up in Long Island, New York.^[2] He graduated from Cornell University, where he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.^[3] He began his career at the Chase Manhattan Bank.

Career

Ahrens is best known as a producer of the Broadway musical Xanadu,^[3] which was nominated for Best Musical at the 2008 Tony Awards.^[4] Ahrens began acquiring the stage rights to the Xanadu musical in 2002^[2] after seeing an unauthorized 2001 stage production of the film. Working as an assistant to an executive at Paramount Pictures at the time, he pursued the rights to Xanadu and its soundtrack by the Electric Light Orchestra and swiftly began courting writer Douglas Carter Beane to write the book.^[1]

He produced three films, Bumping Heads, Book of Love, and WTC View. He also produced Evita on Broadway and executive produced Finding Neverland. He has presented Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and The Temptations and The Four Tops on Broadway. He also produced the play Grey House directed by Joe Mantello on Broadway.

He produces the long-running hit revival of Little Shop of Horrors directed by Michael Mayer at the Westside Theatre in Manhattan. The show starred Jonathan Groff, Tammy Blanchard, and Christian Borle in its original cast, and received universal critical acclaim, winning all of the major 2020 Best Musical Revival Awards given that year from the Drama Desk, the Drama League, and the Outer Critics Circle.

He produces the hit musical Just in Time directed by Alex Timbers which stars Jonathan Groff as Bobby Darin.