Half an hour into one of his last performances, having nearly completed his seven-month run, he left the stage and, on doctor's advice, did not return.
After a seven-month run, he worked sporadically in Off-Broadway and ballet productions as a dancer until 1957, when he was cast in West Side Story.
The 5.3-acre DeWitt Clinton Park, site of the circus's proposed seven-month run, has been neglected for two decades.
Alexis Smith starred as Miss Mona in the National Company, which toured major cities for more than a year, ending with a seven-month run in Los Angeles.
Its first big success was the seven-month run of The Chorus Lady, starring Rose Stahl, from October 15, 1906 through June 1, 1907.
After moving to Los Angeles, he wrote his second play, "Climate," which he performed in during its seven-month run in a local theater.
His "Jake's Women," which lost money on its seven-month run on Broadway in 1992, is now $100,000 in the black.
He had only one play that reached Broadway, Fair Game (1957), which garnered mixed reviews and had a seven-month run at the Longacre Theatre.
Ms. Hecht, 32, recently finished a seven-month run on Broadway in "The Last Night of Ballyhoo," which won a Tony Award this year for best play.