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David Gersten, whose profession arsenic a Broadway and Off Broadway property typical and trading advisor spanned much than 30 years and included specified clients arsenic notable revivals f Jonathan Larson’s tick, tick… BOOM! and Stephen Sondheim’s Marry Me A Little as good arsenic offbeat yet durable entertainments for illustration Naked Boys Singing! and Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, died today, April 6, aft a little conflict pinch pancreatic cancer. He was 67.
The Vice-President of ATPAM (the Association of Theatrical Press Agents & Manager) and a personnel since 1997, Gersten became a committee personnel of nan organiation successful 2001 and besides served arsenic Pension Fund Trustee and Off-Broadway Steward. His full-service boutique firm, David Gersten & Associates, provided publicity and trading for a divers scope of clients since 2000.
Gersten worked pinch immoderate of Broadway’s champion and highest-profile producers, including some Alexander H. Cohen and David Merrick. He counted among his favourite Broadway productions nan American premieres of Noel Coward’s Waiting successful nan Wings (starring Lauren Bacall and Rosemary Harris), nan Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Herbal Bed, and Taking Sides starring Ed Harris & Daniel Massey. He besides named arsenic special, among others, Linda Ronstadt successful Canciones de Mi Padre and nan gala 6,000th capacity of A Chorus Line.
Among nan performers he worked pinch were Len Cariou, Nancy Giles, Jackie Hoffman, Jackie Mason, Kate Mulgrew, Jean Stapleton, and Liliane Montevecchi. He publicized and promoted hundreds of shows Off Broadway, including Altar Boyz, Birds of Paradise by Winnie Holtzman, nan New York premieres of Shear Madness, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and nan world deed Potted Potter – The Unauthorized Harry Experience – A Parody.
Numerous National Tours represented see The Music Man starring Patrick Cassidy & Shirley Jones, Saturday Night Fever, Man of La Mancha, and Sophisticated Ladies (first Russian-American co-production).
A champion for not-for-profit theatre companies, he represented En Garde Arts, Ensemble Studio Theatre, INTAR, Keen Company, Mint Theater, NAATCO The National Asian American Theatre Co., Woodie King’s New Federal Theater and galore others.
A founding personnel of nan Manhattan Association of Clubs & Cabarets, he represented Windows connected nan World, Rainbow & Stars and nan Rainbow Room, Michael’s Pub, Café Carlyle & Bemelmans Bar, nan Oak Room astatine nan Algonquin, Roseland and others. Performers repped astatine these various venues included Mel Tormé, Rosemary Clooney, Peggy Lee, Sid Caesar & Imogene Coca, Kaye Ballard, Laurie Beechman & Sam Harris, Ruth Brown, Betty Buckley, David Carroll, Nell Carter, Vic Damone, Tony Danza, Christine Ebersole, Marianne Faithful, Savion Glover, Lesley Gore, Ellen Greene, Rupert Holmes, Jack Jones, Larry Kert & Carol Lawrence, Darlene Love, Patti LuPone, Maureen McGovern, Lonette McKee, Mark Murphy, Anthony Newley, Anita O’Day, Helen Reddy, Joan Rivers, Mickey Rooney, Helen Schneider, Sylvia Syms, Tommy Tune & nan Manhattan Rhythm Kings, Leslie Uggams, Margaret Whiting, Julie Wilson, and for complete 20 years, Woody Allen pinch nan Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band.
As a producer, Gersten was progressive pinch nan New York premieres of Tea astatine Five starring Kate Mulgrew arsenic Katharine Hepburn, Shear Madness, My First Time, and nan Broadway productions of 13 nan Musical, David Mamet’s A Life successful nan Theatre, The Addams Family, Blithe Spirit, It’s Only a Play and Kinky Boots.
He was a longtime personnel of nan Off-Broadway League and founding member/Vice-President of nan Off-Broadway Alliance. Gersten precocious became 1 of nan owners of nan recently renovated Ninth Avenue Saloon, a theatre territory champion serving nan organization for complete 40 years and 1 of nan oldest LGBTQ+ bars successful New York City.
A autochthonal New Yorker, he was besides a unpaid firefighter, holding nan rank of lieutenant, connected Fire Island, wherever he maintained a summertime home. Donations will beryllium greatly appreciated to immoderate of nan organizations he supported, including nan Cherry Grove Fire Dept, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, nan Entertainment Community Fund, aliases not-for-profit theaters.
Information connected survivors was not instantly available.
