By Jennifer R Jones | Posted on September 14, 2009 10:00 AM
Broadway's Jordan Roth, Former Vice-President Of The Jujamcyn Company, Steps Into The Role Of President As Rocco Landesman Resigns To Lead The National Endowment For The Arts
Broadway Producer Named New President
New York’s Jujamcyn Company, which owns and operates five Broadway theaters, has a new president. Broadway producer Jordan Roth is taking over as president of the theaters following the resignation of Rocco Landesman, who, after nearly 22 years in the job, will become chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts.
The 33-year-old Roth was formerly vice-president of the theater company, which, incidentally, was named for the three children of founder James Binger: Judith, James and Cynthia. Roth helped bring the recent productions of “Spring Awakening" and “Hair” to the Broadway stage, as well as the not-so-successful Harvey Fierstein vehicle “A Catered Affair.” The Princeton-educated Roth clearly has great hopes for the company: he also purchased a share in it.
Jordan Roth Has a Vision for Jujamcyn Theaters
The theaters owned by the Jujamcyn Company currently house such shows as “Hair” (the Al Hirschfeld Theatre) and “Jersey Boys,” currently residing in the August Wilson Theatre. In the upcoming season, revivals of "Finian's Rainbow” and Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music” will be housed in Jujamcyn Theaters as well, as will the new musical “Fela,” a look at Nigerian Afrobeat star Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
Roth has said in interviews that he’s an admirer of the business strategy behind premium-priced tickets (read: higher-priced tickets) that are available to segments of the population willing to pay over-the-top prices; but he also claims that the company will continue to help theatergoers have easier access to tickets and information, as well as to have a top-of-the-line theater experience. Theater is clearly in Roth’s DNA: His mother, Daryl Roth, produced six Pultizer-Prize winning plays.
