Producer Martin Markinson, who won a Tony Award in 1983 for Torch Song Trilogy and served on the Broadway League's Board of Governors for many years, died January 7, 2021. He was 89 years old.
His Main Stem credits as a producer also included Honeymoon in Vegas, the 2015 revival of Gigi, and The Gathering. Mr. Markinson also served as an associate producer on the original production of Chicago, Poor Murderer, and Cheaters, among others.
Martin “Marty” Markinson was born December 23, 1931, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. While ushering at a movie theatre during his teen years, his love of storytelling and the entertainment business took hold. Mr. Markinson enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean War, where he served for three years and during which time he received his GED.
In 1970, as part of Mr. Markinson and Donald Tick’s expansion of Tick & Co, they bought an insurance agency, owned by Joe Harris, that handled entertainment clients. This introduced Markinson to the theatre world and an offer in 1975 to consult on the insurance and invest in the original production of Chicago.
In 1979, Mr. Markinson and Mr. Tick bought the Little Theatre (now the Helen Hayes Theater) from Westinghouse Broadcasting Company. The pair owned the theatre until Mr. Tick’s death in 2006, at which time Jeffrey Tick joined the day-to-day operations until 2015 when it was sold to Second Stage.
Mr. Markinson also leased three other theatres as an operator, the Wadsworth and Brentwood Theatres in Los Angeles between 1998–2010, and the Parker Playhouse in Ft. Lauderdale from 2000 to 2006.
Mr. Markinson is survived by his wife Arlena and two sons: Brett Markinson, wife Alison, and grandchildren Jade and Jasmine; and Keith Markinson, wife Lisa, and grandchildren Luke and Bennett.
