Tom Mallow, 71; Expanded Broadway Touring Circuit

Tom Mallow, 71, a successful producer of Broadway’s touring shows who was called “the king of the road” by colleagues in the theater business, died June 6 in Deerfield Beach, Fla., of complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

Along with his partner James Janek in the firm American Theater Productions, Mallow expanded the boundaries of the national touring circuit beyond cities such as Boston, Los Angeles and Miami. They brought shows like “Hello Dolly” to Indiana and North Dakota.

In the 1980s, Mallow noted that road shows were seen by 150,000 people a week and grossed $100 million a year.

Born in Carlsbad, N.M., Mallow led a jazz band in Albuquerque, playing saxophone and clarinet, before becoming a band booker in Chicago for MCA.

He started booking Broadway shows in the early 1960s, and over the years produced more than 60 shows for Broadway on what was called “the bus and truck circuit.”

His traveling productions included “Equus,” “Eubie,” “The Elephant Man,” “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” and “Into the Woods.”