Philip Rose (theatrical producer)
| Philip Rose | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 4, 1921 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Died | May 31, 2011 (aged 89) Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Producer |
| Years active | 1957-? |
| Spouse(s) | Doris Belack (1946–2011) |
Philip Rose (July 4, 1921 – May 31, 2011) was a Broadway theatrical producer of such productions as A Raisin in the Sun, The Owl and the Pussycat, Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?, Purlie, and Shenandoah. His work was particularly notable for its social insight and distinctive social conscience.
Philip Rose was born Philip Rosenberg on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, to Russian Jewish parents.
As a young man, he earned money singing at weddings and funerals and later worked briefly as a bill collector. His family moved to Washington, D.C. during the Great Depression and he began working at 16 for many of the local stores in the area.
While working in mostly black neighborhoods, he ended up going into people's homes and was accepted by some of the families forming personal friendships. It was there that he learned about Gospel music and Jazz. Washington, D.C., at the time, was a segregated city, but he found ways to spend time with friends he made there. He attributed this experience with segregation as having changed his life. His father, Max Rosenberg, always expressed himself differently on racial matters than the people in the neighborhood. He was very critical of racism and this made a lasting impression on the young Philip Rose.
In 1945, after arriving in New York City, Philip Rose toured with an opera company. He was in a Gilbert & Sullivan company in Greenwich Village where he met his wife, the actress Doris Belack. Shortly afterward, he began touring for a whole season doing musicals.
Philip Rose went to Harlem and began to sing Jazz. He became instantly involved in the Civil Rights Movement. While in Harlem, he got to know struggling black artists including William Marshall, who was one of the few black actors to have a career. William Marshall was among the artists Philip Rose invited to his apartment for a meeting concerning the Mississippi lynching of Emmett Till. Rose regarded his friendships with Sidney Poitier and Lorraine Hansberry as amongst two of the most important in his life.
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