Frank Hartenstein, Broadway Stage Manager, Passes Away at 85

Frank Hartenstein, a stage manager whose body of work included collaborating with some of Broadway's most celebrated luminaries over the last 50 years, died on Friday, February 21 at Mt. Sinai West Hospital in New York City.  The cause of death was pneumonia and respiratory failure, as confirmed by Frank's wife, Broadway performer and NYU teacher Melanie Vaughan.

Frank served as stage manager on the landmark Broadway productions of A Chorus Line, Platinum, Pump Boys & Dinettes, Big River, Starlight Express, Into the Woods, The Who's Tommy and Minnelli on Minnelli, as well as acclaimed revivals of The King and I (1990), How to Succeed...(1995), 42nd Street (2001), La Boheme (2002), Guys and Dolls (2009)  and, Jesus Christ Superstar (2012), among many more memorable shows.

Artists Frank worked closely with include Michael Bennett, Joseph Papp, Stephen Sondheim, Harold Prince, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Des McAnuff, Gerald Gutierrez, Sid Caesar, Bernadette Peters, Matthew Broderick, Donna Murphy, Kevin Kline, Angela Lansbury, Marian Seldes, Irene Worth, and dozens of others.

Frank was born on July 22, 1939, in Fort Scott, KS, to Frank D. Hartenstein and Lois O. James Hartenstein.  He was the youngest of three children; he had a half-brother, Gene, and a sister, Barbara.  He grew up in Bloomington, IL and became interested in theatre during high school where he received the school's Best Actor Award, for his performance as Elwood P. Doud in Mary Chase's comedy, Harvey.

Frank attended Illinois Wesleyan University and was active in the theatre program, working as an actor, director, designer, and technical director. After college, Frank served in the U.S. Army in Fort Bliss, TX where he was part of an entertainment unit which produced a new play every six weeks.  A letter of commendation from his superior officer acknowledged his exemplary work in virtually all aspects of theatre.  Upon leaving the Army, Frank did graduate work at Wayne State University supervising turnarounds for productions in their revolving repertory.  He then served as Assistant Technical Director at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge, MA, serving as stage manager for the Harvard Summer Players.  Around this time, he received a Ford Foundation Grant to work at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

He moved to New York shortly after, taking numerous off-Broadway "survival jobs." He then took a job at the Berkshire Theatre Festival, where he met the distinguished producer, director, and stage manager, Porter Van Zandt, who became his close friend and mentor.  He and Porter worked together on many productions, including for John Houseman's new troupe, The Actors Company.  He also worked as General Manager at the Bucks County Playhouse.

Over the next 40 years, Frank was associated with another 29 Broadway shows, as Production Stage Manager (PSM) and in myriad other technical capacities.
Frank was a stage manager on the legendary musical A Chorus Line, from its first performances at The Public Theater through its triumphant Broadway opening and on its first national tour where he served as PSM. After that, Frank served as the PSM for Platinum starring Alexis Smith and on Othello starring James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer.

Frank started a long-term professional relationship with powerhouse producers, Dodger Productions with Pump Boys and Dinettes in 1983.  He would go on to manage another nine major Broadway productions for them.

Frank's long-term association with Des McAnuff began with Big River in 1985 and continued with The Who's Tommy, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Dracula the Musical, The Farnsworth Invention, Guys and Dolls, and the 2012 revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, Frank's final Broadway credit. His other credits included Starlight Express, 42nd Street (2001 revival), and Sinatra: His Voice, His World, His Way at Radio City Music Hall.

Frank worked often at the La Jolla Playhouse, where several productions transferred to Broadway.  Shows that Frank managed there include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Zhivago, Tony Award winner Memphis, The Wiz, Palm Beach, and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. Off-Broadway, in addition to the original A Chorus Line, Frank stage managed the original productions of David Mamet's A Life in the Theatre and the musical Lone Star Love.

On the road, Frank supervised American Buffalo starring Al Pacino, Sweeney Todd, and oversaw companies of many of his Broadway hits, helping to mount them in London, the U.S., and around the world.

On New Year's Eve 1999 as the year 2000 dawned, Frank called the cues in Times Square, dropping the famous ball at midnight.  He worked with the Times Square Business District on several New Year's Eve extravaganzas.

He was on the Council of Actors' Equity Association for 10 years, during which time he was a Tony Award voter, and over the years served as a guest instructor in stage management at Rutgers University, the Yale School of Drama, and the University of California at San Diego.  Both in the classroom and out, formally and informally, Frank instructed, counseled, and inspired several generations of aspiring stage managers.

In his spare time, Frank loved to golf and for many years he and his wife loved their weekend home in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Frank is survived by his wife Melanie, whom he married in 1985 after meeting during the first national tour of Sweeney Todd; his sister Barbara Hartenstein O'Connor of Deerfield, IL; and three nephews.

A memorial service for Frank will be organized later this year. Memorial contributions to honor Frank may be made to the Entertainment Community Fund or Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.