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Theatre producer who took cult acts and controversial shows to bigger audiences
Through his 30 years as a theatre producer, David Johnson, who has died aged 60, maintained a keen eye for the unlikely hit. Work that to other producers might seem too niche, too cultish or simply too vulgar would be picked up and – with a canny blend of shock and showmanship – reach audiences far bigger than anyone else could have imagined.
In September 1997, when my play Shopping and Fucking began its West End previews, ticket sales were sluggish. David, who with his business partner, Mark Goucher, had transferred the play (my first) from a small studio at the Royal Court, seemed untroubled. “It’s a different kind of show for a different kind of audience,” he counselled. “They’ll come.” Continue reading...