Alfred de Liagre, 82; Broadway Producer

Alfred de Liagre Jr., the courtly yet unpretentious Broadway producer of such hit shows as “Deathtrap,” “The Voice of the Turtle,” “J.B.” and the 1983 revival of “On Your Toes” and recently chosen by drama critics throughout the country to the Theater Hall of Fame, died Thursday of lung cancer. He was 82.

De Liagre, known as “Delly” on Broad way, had been a producer for more than 60 years, said spokesman Jeffrey Richards, who represented “On Your Toes” during its New York run four years ago.

Actress Katharine Hepburn, a close friend of many years, called De Liagre “the last of the gentleman producers” because of his impeccable manners that reflected a background of society and wealth.

After graduating from Yale, De Liagre dabbled in acting and produced and directed his first Broadway show in 1930, “Three Corner Moon,” starring Ruth Gordon. For the rest of the decade, he was represented on Broadway with a series of light comedies including “By Your Leave,” “The Pure in Heart” and “Yes, My Darling Daughter.”

One of his biggest successes was John van Druten’s “The Voice of the Turtle,” which opened in 1943 and ran for 1,557 performances. The play, which starred Margaret Sullavan and Elliott Nugent, was a three-character comedy about a weekend romance between an actress and an Army sergeant.

In the 1950s he produced such shows as “The Golden Apple,” “Janus,” “The Girls in 509” and “J.B.,” Archibald MacLeish’s Pulitzer Prize-winning version of the story of Job. Directed by Elia Kazan, it attracted rave notices across the country.

By the 1970s, De Liagre had turned his attention to non-commercial theater and became executive producer of the American National Theater and Academy, presenting dozens of shows including “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” with Elizabeth Ashley and “Harvey” with James Stewart.

De Liagre, known for his lavish parties, liked to complain that he was unable to find any new scripts worthy of Broadway.

But he was lured back to Broadway by Ira Levin’s “Deathtrap.” The comedy-thriller by the author of “Rosemary’s Baby” starred John Wood. It opened in New York in 1978 and ran for 1,793 performances, becoming De Liagre’s biggest commercial success. It was later made into a movie starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve.

The producer’s last Broadway show was the Tony Award-winning revival of Rodgers and Hart’s “On Your Toes,” which introduced ballerina Natalia Makarova to Broadway and which toured nationally for nearly three years.