Allen produced or co-produced a number of high-profile Broadway shows, the most successful of which was the 1977 musical Annie, which ran for 2,377 performances. His other credits include the original productions of Half a Sixpence, My One and Only, A Few Good Men, Tru, and Master Class. Tru starred Robert Morse and was written by Allen’s wife, Jay Presson Allen.
Born in Berryville, Virginia in 1922, Allen graduated from the University of Virginia. He served with the American Field Service during World War II; there he met producer Robert Whitehead, with whom he would have a long professional relationship.
Allen’s Off-Broadway credits include A Lie of the Mind, Vita and Virginia, and the original I’m Not Rappaport (as well as its subsequent Broadway transfer and recent revival). He also produced a number of Hollywood films, including Lord of the Flies and Fahrenheit 451.
He is survived by his wife, a daughter, two grandchildren, and a brother.
