It would take up this entire story to list all of Michael Gruber's biography.

On Broadway, he's been Mike Costa in the final company of "A Chorus Line", Munkustrap in "Cats", the Tinman opposite Roseanne Barr in "The Wizard Of Oz", and Hortensio in "Kiss Me, Kate", plus he's been a part of the original companies of "Miss Saigon," "Swing!," And "My Favorite Year." He was one of the three Americans asked to reprise their role for the "Cats" movie. He's played leading roles in everything from "Singin' in the Rain" to "Oklahoma" at regional theatres across the country. He's played Riff in both the national and European touring companies of "West Side Story". The list goes on and on, but by this point, local theatre buffs have gotten the point: Michael Gruber has a little experience with some of the best theatres in the world. It's no surprise that he's a part of PCPA's latest production of "Crazy For You." However, it is quite a compliment when he says that while PCPA's plays are smaller, their quality is "comparable to Broadway."

"I had dinner with [PCPA Actor] David Studwell and his wife last night, and we were talking about what a gold mine [Santa Marians] have here," he said, "I hope the community realizes that seeing live theatre at PCPA - there's nothing like it between San Francisco and Los Angeles."

Gruber said that he was in Florida finishing a production when PCPA asked him to take on the role of Bobby Child, and, having never even heard of Santa Maria, he asked PCPA actor Melinda Parrett what the production value was like. In the course of the three weeks that he'd been learning his marks and polishing his dance steps, he said he'd been "amazed" not only with the quality of the production, but with how the director Eric Hoit is putting it together.

"Whether it's the sets, the sound, or the acting," he said, "Hoit has done a perfect job of keeping true to the musical's core elements. Sometimes on Broadway," he continued, "productions actually get too big for their own good.

"They've got people rising out of the floor and cars driving around on stage," he said "And that's not what it's about - it's about the music."

Over the course of the interview, Gruber talked about preparing for "Crazy," the work he's done on and off Broadway, and why he's thrilled to be playing the part of Child, but the idea he came back to again and again was how highly he thought of PCPA.

"Santa Marians have got this treasure in their backyard. These are top-notch professionals who are putting together these productions," he said. "This is a really special place."