Shirley Herz (December 30, 1925 – August 11, 2013) was an American

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...

production press representative. Herz had publicized Broadway,

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

and

Off-Off Broadway Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commercialism of the pro ...

productions, ballet companies, circuses, worlds fairs, films and television programs, beginning in 1954, aged 28, when she was the press assistant for the

Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics ...

and

Harold Arlen Harold Arlen (born Hyman Arluck; February 15, 1905 – April 23, 1986) was an American composer of popular music, who composed over 500 songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film ' ...

musical, '' House of Flowers''.. She worked with many notables, including

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lifeboat (194 ...

Rosalind Russell Catherine Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907November 28, 1976) was an American actress, model, comedian, screenwriter, and singer,Obituary '' Variety'', December 1, 1976, p. 79. known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson in ...

Eva Le Gallienne Eva Le Gallienne (January 11, 1899 – June 3, 1991) was a British-born American stage actress, producer, director, translator, and author. A Broadway theatre, Broadway star by age 21, in 1926 she left Broadway behind to found the Fourteenth St ...

Jerry Herman Gerald Sheldon Herman (July 10, 1931December 26, 2019) was an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway theatre. One of the most commercially successful Broadway songwriters of his time, Herman was the composer and lyricist ...

, and

Julie Harris Julia Ann Harris (December 2, 1925August 24, 2013) was an American actress. Renowned for her classical and contemporary roles, she earned numerous accolades including five Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Play, three Emmy Awards, and a Grammy ...

, as well as with many off-Broadway (such as

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Lynne Meadow has been the company’s Artistic Director and visionary since 1972. Barry Grove joined the company in 19 ...

) and off-off-Broadway companies. The

Broadway League The Broadway League, formerly the League of American Theatres and Producers and League of New York Theatres and Producers, is the national trade association for the Broadway theatre industry based in New York City. Its members include theatre ow ...

and the

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

presented Herz with a special

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Excellence in Theatre at the

63rd Tony Awards The 63rd Annual Tony Awards, which recognized Broadway productions of the 2008-2009 season, were presented on June 7, 2009 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The ceremony was broadcast by CBS, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. The cut-off ...

ceremony on June 7, 2009.

Death

Herz suffered a stroke on July 18, 2013 and died on August 11, aged 87. Her sole immediate survivor is her widower, Herbert Boley, to whom she was married from 1948 until her death.

Productions

Broadway productions for which she acted as press agent or representative include: ''

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' is a play by Edward Albee first staged in October 1962. It examines the complexities of the marriage of middle-aged couple Martha and George. Late one evening, after a university faculty party, they rece ...

'', 2005
''

The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? 'The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?' is a full-length play written in 2000 by Edward Albee which opened on Broadway in 2002. It won the 2002 Tony Award for Best Play, the 2002 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play, and was a finalist for the 2003 Puli ...

'' 2002
''

Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American actress, producer, and singer. In a career spanning 80 years, she played various roles on stage and screen. Among her numerous accolades wer ...

- A Celebration'', 1996
''Translations'', 1995
''

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice ''The Rise and Fall of Little Voice'' is a 1992 play written by English dramatist Jim Cartwright. Production history Sam Mendes directed the first production at the Royal National Theatre that transferred to the Aldwych Theatre in London's ...

'', 1994
''A Little More Magic'', 1994
''Wonderful Tennessee'', 1993
''Mixed Emotions'', 1993
''Someone Who'll Watch Over Me'', 1992-1993
''Crazy He Calls Me'', 1992
''Catskills on Broadway'', 1991-93
''Park Your Car in Harvard Yard'', 1991-92
''Peter Pan'', 1990–91; 1991-92
''Shogun, The Musical'', 1990-91
''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and musical theatre#Book musicals, book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Russian Empire, Imperial Russia in or around 19 ...

'' evival 1990-91
''A Change in the Heir'', 1990
''

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' is a 1955 American three-act play by Tennessee Williams. The play, an adaptation of his 1952 short story "Three Players of a Summer Game", was written between 1953 and 1955. One of Williams's more famous works and his ...

'' evival 1990
''

Gypsy {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , po ...

'' evival 1989-91
''Prince of Central Park'', 1989
''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a 1928 German "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François V ...

'' evival 1989
''Dangerous Games'', 1989
''Starmites'', 1989
''Chu Chem'', 1989
''Cafe Crown'' evival 1989
''

Legs Diamond Jack "Legs" Diamond (possibly born John Thomas Diamond, though disputed; July 10, 1897 – December 18, 1931), also known as John Nolan and Gentleman Jack, was an Irish Americans, Irish-American gangster in Philadelphia and New York City during ...

'' 1988-89
''Paul Robeson'' evival 1988
''

Burn This ''Burn This'' (stylized as ''Burn/This'' for the 2019 revival) is a play by Lanford Wilson. Like much of Wilson's work, the play includes themes of gay identity and relationships. Plot summary The play begins shortly after the funeral of Robb ...

'', 1988
''

All My Sons ''All My Sons'' is a three-act play written in 1946 by Arthur Miller. It opened on Broadway at the Coronet Theatre in New York City on January 29, 1947, closed on November 8, 1947, and ran for 328 performances. It was directed by Elia Kazan ...

'', 1987
''Raggedy Ann'', 1986
''Jerry's Girls'', 1986
''Singin' in the Rain'', 1985-86
''Home Front'', 1985
''Quilters'', 1984
''Open Admissions'', 1984
''Marilyn'', 1983
'' La Cage aux Folles'', 1983-87
'' The Ritz'' evival 1983
''Ned & Jack'', 1981
''Wally's Cafe'', 1981
''The Five O'Clock Girl'' evival 1981
''To Grandmother's House We Go'', 1981
''Onward Victoria'', 1980
''Perfectly Frank'', 1980
''Happy New Year'', 1980
''Canterbury Tales'' evival 1980
''

The Lady from Dubuque ''The Lady from Dubuque'' is a play by Edward Albee, which premiered on Broadway theatre, Broadway in 1980 for a brief run. The play ran in London in 2007. Productions ''The Lady from Dubuque'' opened on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre on Janua ...

'', 1980
'' King of Schnorrers'', 1979-80
''Strider'', 1979-80
''

The Madwoman of Central Park West ''The Madwoman of Central Park West'' is a semi-autobiography, autobiographical one-woman musical theatre, musical with a book by Arthur Laurents and Phyllis Newman and songs by various composers and lyricists. It focuses on the difficulties faced ...

'', 1979
''My Old Friends'', 1979
''Platinum'', 1978
''The November People'', 1978
''An Almost Perfect Person'', 1977-78
''The Night of the Tribades'', 1977
''

The Royal Family (play) ''The Royal Family'' is a play written by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber. Its premiere on Broadway was at the Selwyn Theatre on 28 December 1927, where it ran for 345 performances to close in October 1928. It was included in Burns Mantle's ' ...

'' evival 1976
''Summer Brave'', 1975
''Ride the Winds'', 1974
''Holiday'' evival 1973-74
''Chemin de Fer'' evival 1973-74
'' The Visit'' evival 1973-74
'' The Women'' evival 1973
''Look Away'', 1973
''Ring Around the Bathtub'', 1972
''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage.Meyer, Michael Lever ...

'' evival 1971
''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' (Danish language, Danish and ; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act Play (theatre), play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 De ...

'' evival 1971
'' The Rothschilds'', 1970-72
''

Oh! Calcutta! ''Oh! Calcutta!'' is an avant-garde, risqué theatrical revue created by British drama critic Kenneth Tynan. The show, consisting of sketches on sex-related topics, debuted Off-Broadway in 1969 and then in the West End in 1970. It ran in ...

'', 1969-72
''

Forty Carats ''Forty Carats'' is a play by Jay Presson Allen. Adapted from the French original by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Gredy, the comedy revolves around a 40-year-old American divorcee who is assisted by a 22-year-old when her car breaks down ...

'', 1968-70
''The Family Way'', 1965
''Zizi'', 1964-65
''Conversation at Midnight'', 1964
''A Girl Could Get Lucky'', 1964
''Marathon'' '33, 1963-64
''Romulus'', 1962
''Everybody Loves Opal'', 1961
'' Mary, Mary'', 1961-64
''Happy Town'', 1959
''The Cold Wind and the Warm'', 1958-59
''Miss Isobel'', 1957-58
''Rumple'', 1957
''Compulsion'', 1957-58
''The Cave Dwellers'', 1957-58
''Romanoff and Juliet'', 1957-58
'' House of Flowers'', 1954–55.

References

External links

Shirley Herz papers, 1959-1984
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, is located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, in the Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City. Situated between the Metropolitan O ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herz, Shirley 1925 births 2013 deaths American public relations people Broadway press agents People from Philadelphia