Producer Tom Mallow, Broadway’s "King of the Road," Dies at 71
Producer Tom Mallow, the American theater’s so-called “King of the Road”, died last week from complications of Alzheimer’s, the Associated Press reported this morning.
Given credit for vastly expanding the reach of touring Broadway shows, Mallow was 71 when he died on June 6 in a medical center near his home in Lighthouse Point, Florida. Born and raised in New Mexico, Mallow started his entertainment career in Chicago, later becoming an innovator in the complex business of bringing hit Broadway shows to national audiences.
Mallow was also listed as producer on at least three shows on Broadway: No Sex Please, We’re British in 1973, the 1980 revival of Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, and the 1984 revival of The Wiz; none lasted more than a handful of performances. He was vastly more successful on the road, where he produced tours of musicals ranging from Fiddler on the Roof to Cabaret, as well as such straight plays as The Elephant Man and Amadeus. With producer James Janek, Mallow ran American Theater Productions and Janco Productions, pushing the reach of touring shows well beyond major centers like Chicago and Boston.
