Joseph Z. Nederlander

Joseph Zachary Nederlander (June 1, 1927 – May 1, 2021) was an American theater owner and operator who served as the executive vice president[1] of the Nederlander Organization, one of the largest live theater owners and producers[2] in the United States.

Joseph Z. Nederlander
Born
Joseph Zachary Nederlander

(1927-06-01)June 1, 1927
Detroit, Michigan
DiedMay 1, 2021(2021-05-01) (aged 93)
Bloomfield Township, Michigan
Occupation(s)Live theater owner and operator
Known forExecutive VP of the Nederlander Organization
Spouses
Ricki Rose
​
​
(m. 1960; div. 1973)​
    Laurie
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1975; div. 1988)​
      Carol Jacoby
      ​
      ​
      (m. 2000)​
      Children2
      Parent(s)Sarah Applebaum
      David T. Nederlander
      FamilyJames M. Nederlander (brother)
      Harry Jay Nederlander (brother)
      Robert Nederlander (brother)
      Fred Nederlander (brother)
      Frances Nederlander Kohn (sister)
      James L. Nederlander (nephew)

      Early life and education

      Nederlander was born to a Jewish family in Detroit, Michigan, on June 1, 1927.[3][4] He was one of six children of Sarah (née Applebaum) and David T. "D.T." Nederlander.[5] His father's first venture into live theatre came in 1912, when he signed a 99-year lease[6] on the old Opera House at Campus Martius in Detroit and founded the family company, the Nederlander Organization. He has four brothers: James, Harry, Robert, and Fred; and one sister, Frances.[7]

      Nederlander attended Pontiac High School in Pontiac, Michigan. He served in the Navy before returning home in 1947 and enrolled at Wayne State University for one semester. After he dropped out of college, he joined the family's theatre business.[3]

      Career

      Nederlander's father bought the Orpheum Theatre on Lafayette in 1940 with the Shubert Organization. They renamed the theatre the Shubert-Lafayette Theatre (demolished in 1964).[8] Nederlander, now working in all aspects of the business from the box office to sweeping the floors, with his father and brother James, also purchased the Riviera Theatre (demolished in 1996) on West Grand River.[6]

      Nederlander was instrumental in the complete reconfiguration of the Fisher Theatre in 1961[9] with his father, D.T. and brother, James. The 3,500-seat movie house built by the Fisher brothers would be pared down to a state-of-the-art 2,200-seat legitimate live theatre.[9] It quickly became a premier venue not only in Detroit, but across the country. Not long after opening, it had the largest season-ticket subscription in the country, at 55,000.[3]

      As the family business expanded and James moved to New York to continue to buy theatres and produce Broadway shows, Nederlander stayed behind to run operations in Detroit. The Nederlander Organization controlled the Fisher Theatre,[10] Shubert Theatre, and Grand Riviera Theater. Nederlander was instrumental in the opening of the Pine Knob Music Theatre (now known as DTE Energy Music Theatre) in the 1970s.[11]

      The Nederlander Organization controls nine Broadway theaters[12] and is the second-largest of the three companies that dominate Broadway, after the Shubert Organization (which owns 16 theaters) and ahead of Jujamcyn (which owns five).[13] On a global scale, the Nederlander Organization is larger, with an additional 15 theaters nationwide.[14] They are the only one of the three that is still run by its owners.[13]

      Nederlander produced the revival of Stop the World – I Want to Get Off (1978),[15] Into the Light (1986),[16] and Side Show (1997).[15][17]

      Personal life

      Nederlander was married three times.[3] His nephew, James L. Nederlander, is the current president of the Nederlander Organization in New York.[18]

      Nederlander died on May 1, 2021. He was 93, and suffered from Parkinson's disease in the years leading up to his death.[5]

      Theatre
      Year Title Type Role Theatre
      1969 Indians[15] Original Theatre Owner/Operator Brooks Atkinson Theatre
      1970 Paris Is Out![15] Original
      1973 Seesaw[15] Original Uris Theatre
      1973 Gigi[15] Original
      1974 Sammy[19] Original
      1974 Anthony Newley / Henry Mancini[15] Original
      1975 Treemonisha[15] Original
      1976 The Mikado[15] Revival
      1976 The Pirates of Penzance[15] Revival
      1976 H.M.S. Pinafore[15] Revival
      1976 Porgy and Bess[15] Revival
      1976 Bing Crosby on Broadway[15] Original
      1977 Nureyev[15] Original
      1977 Béjart: Ballet of the Twentieth Century[20][21] Original
      1977 The King and I[15] Revival
      1978 Stop the World - I Want to Get Off[15] Revival Producer New York State Theatre
      1986 Sweet Charity[22][23] Revival Theatre Owner/Operator Minskoff Theatre
      1986 Into the Light[5][16] Original Producer Neil Simon Theatre
      1997 Side Show[15] Original Producer Richard Rodgers Theatre

      Awards and nominations
      Year Award Category Work Result
      1998 Tony Award Best Musical[24] Side Show Nominated
      Drama League Award Distinguished Production of a Musical[25] Nominated

      See also

      References
      1. "Nederlander Announces Executive Changes". The New York Times. November 22, 1981.
      2. "Joseph Nederlander | IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
      3. Devine, Lawrence (September 21, 1997). "Bring in 'da Joe". Detroit Free Press. p. G1. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
      4. Chessler, Suzanne (May 5, 2021). "Obituary: Joseph Nederlander, Michigan's Theater Pioneer". The Jewish News. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
      5. Hinds, Julie (May 1, 2021). "Detroit theater impresario Joseph Nederlander, a larger-than-life legend, dies at 93". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
      6. Callaghan, J. Dorsey (February 3, 1957). "Stage Looks Good After 45 Years". Detroit Free Press. p. 38.
      7. Devine, Lawrence (May 10, 1981). "Curtain never falls on Detroit Family's theatrical empire". Detroit Free Press. p. G1.
      8. "Detroit's theater royalty". Detroit Free Press. October 18, 1998. p. G1. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
      9. Cook, Louis (May 7, 1961). "Fisher Signs Line-Up of Hits". Detroit Free Press. p. 22.
      10. Zurawik, Dave (November 24, 1978). "Joey: Now in his 884th Week". Detroit Free Press. p. 29.
      11. "Nederlanders to open new theatre". The Times Herald (Port Huron, Michigan). February 4, 1972. p. 22.
      12. Devine, Lawrence (June 5, 1981). "The Nederlander empire controls 95,051 theatre seats". The Evening Sun (Baltimore, Maryland). p. 17.
      13. Konigsberg, Eric (May 31, 1999). "Jimmy Nederlander's Endless Run". New York. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
      14. Richards, Dean (November 14, 2018). "Chicago's Oriental Theatre is changing its name". WGN-TV. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
      15. "Joseph Nederlander – Broadway and Theatre Credits". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
      16. Rich, Frank (October 23, 1986). "Theater: 'Into the Light,' A Musical". The New York Times. p. C19. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
      17. "Joseph Z. Nederlander". Playbill.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
      18. New York: "Jimmy Nederlander's Endless Run", Eric Konigsberg retrieved August 3, 2013
      19. Dietz, Dan (September 3, 2015). The Complete Book of 1970s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 202. ISBN 9781442251663.
      20. Dunning, Jennifer (March 27, 1979). "News of the Dance New York to See Danes in Bournonville Rarities". The New York Times. p. C10. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
      21. Foster, Catherine (May 24, 1984). "Transforming the Wang Center from pauper to Prince Charming". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
      22. Rich, Frank (April 28, 1986). "Stage: 'Sweet Charity,' A Bob Fosse Revival". The New York Times. p. C19. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
      23. Sullivan, Dan (July 22, 1985). "Stage Review – Allen Puts Sweetness Back In 'Charity'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
      24. "The Tony Award Nominations: 1998 – Musical". American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
      25. The Dramatist: The Journal of the Dramatists Guild, Inc. Vol. 1. Dramatists Guild. 1998. p. 47. … as nominee of Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical to Side Show
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