Great Producers by Iris Dorbian

Author:Iris Dorbian [Iris Dorbian]
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-58115-752-9
Publisher: Allworth Press / Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. (Perseus)

Carol Rosegg

Mercedes Ruehl, Bill Pullman, and Jeffrey Carlson in Edward Albee’s The Goat on Broadway, winner of the 2002 Best Play Tony Award.

Driving On

Fortunately, for Roth, her batting average with projects has been exceptional. In fact, for every show of hers that has not worked, there have been a half a dozen that have. Acclaimed shows such as How I Learned To Drive, Proof, The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, The Goat, and the recent revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? have prominently figured in Roth’s résumé. What they all bear in common is not just a victorious fusion of commerce and art, but many of these pivotal projects crystallized into being due to relationships with creative talent that Roth has cultivated and maintained.

“I was invited to see David Auburn’s Proof [at the Manhattan Theatre Club] very early because I had worked with Mary-Louise Parker in How I Learned To Drive, and she was starring in Proof. She called me and said, ‘I think you’re going to love this play, Daryl. I’d love you to come and see it.’ I went to a very early preview and I adored it. Then I went to the people at MTC and said, ‘I’d like to help move this if that’s what you decide to do. I’d like to be part of the commercial transfer.’” On October 24, 2000, Proof opened at the Walter Kerr Theatre, where it stayed until January 5, 2003, running for 917 performances. It collected a slew of trophies, among them the Pulitzer for David Auburn for Best Drama and Tony Awards for Best Play, Best Direction of a Play (Daniel Sullivan), and Best Actress in a Play (Mary-Louise Parker).

Roth’s involvement with The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife came about as a result of her longstanding association with Manhattan Theatre Club artistic director Lynne Meadow. Knowing that Roth was a big fan of the play’s author, Charles Busch, Meadow sent her the script to read. Roth also attended an early preview. Upon seeing it, Roth said she wanted to move it and became part of the producing team when The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife transferred to Broadway. The show opened on November 2, 2000, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, where it played until September 15, 2002, running for 777 performances. Like Proof, it also launched a very profitable tour.

Busch, who met Roth when she was one of the producers behind the commercial transfer of The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, characterizes his relationship with Roth as a unique one—quite unlike the typical producer/artist dynamic. Like Monk, Busch considers Roth to be a personal friend, as well as a professional champion. What most drew her to him in their initial meetings was her nurturing warmth and personality. Busch also greatly appreciates that Roth knows when to give input and when to stay away to let the artist develop his work.

“I think relationships are very important to her. You just feel that family feeling with her. She is a very maternal person, though she’s certainly not old enough to be my mother.

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