By Matthew Wexler
While theatergoers might be more familiar with the starry names of Broadway shows produced by Jack W. Batman (among them George Clooney, Sadie Sink, and Kerry Washington), the industry titan made his mark throughout his decades-long career. Batman died on August 1 at the age of 81.
Batman’s first producing venture on Broadway was the short-lived stage adaptation of Enchanted April in 2003. The four-month run didn’t dissuade him, and over the next 20 years, he would go on to produce 19 more plays and musicals. Some were epic flops (King Kong, perhaps the biggest) while others were massive hits. Last season’s production of Good Night, and Good Luck, broke multiple box office records, bringing in over $4.2 million in one week.
Other creative and commercial successes included the Tony-winning Clybourne Park and Diane Paulus’s inventive revival of Pippin starring Patina Miller as the Leading Player. Last season alone, in addition to Clooney’s Broadway debut, saw John Proctor is the Villain and The Roommate starring Patti LuPone and Mia Farrow draw play-going crowds.
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“Drawn to Broadway, Jack moved to New York City in 1969, the same day the New York Mets won their first World Series,” husband Sidney J. Burgoyne wrote in Batman’s obituary. “He landed a job in the mail room at the William Morris Agency and quickly rose through the ranks to become an agent. From there, he built a career in theater as a manager, casting director, actor, writer, and two-time Tony Award-winning producer… Batman was still working on upcoming projects until a few days before he died in hospice care at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey. ”
Here’s a peek at some of Batman’s most notable productions:
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