Allan Wallach, former Newsday theater critic, entertainment editor, dies at 88

Allan Wallach, a longtime Newsday theater critic and entertainment editor who interviewed countless Broadway greats, died Nov. 17 at his home in Manhattan. He was 88.

The cause of death probably was old age, said his son Jonathan Wallach of Levittown.

The elder Wallach is remembered for his quick wit, generosity and gentle spirit. His abiding life passion was the theater, said his son Mark Wallach of Los Angeles. Long after retiring, Allan Wallach saw hundreds of shows and continued to enjoy the arts.

"Allan was the opposite of every negative stereotype of theater critics," said Newsday theater critic Linda Winer. "He was a gentleman, soft-spoken and thoughtful, but with very strong opinions and an open mind."

Born in 1927, Wallach grew up in the Bronx and attended Townsend Harris School, a Queens-based public magnet high school. After graduating in 1946, he enlisted in the Navy, where he wrote classified manuals for submarines. After his military service, he enrolled at Syracuse University on the GI Bill.

He met his future wife, Shirley, at a New Year's Eve party and the pair married in the fall of 1953. The couple moved to Connecticut, where Wallach became a reporter at the New Haven Register. Eventually, the family moved to Huntington Station and Wallach began working at Newsday in the late 1950s.

During his three decades at Newsday, he served as a reporter, theater critic and entertainment editor, writing theater reviews and more. His most recent Newsday piece was a 2000 freelance article about his travels in Jordan and Syria.

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After retiring, he moved to Manhattan's Upper West Side with his wife. He penned online theater reviews and, in 2012, he also published a children's book, "Robot Detective."

Wallach was a resilient man who battled colon cancer in his mid-70s and recovered from his wife's death from leukemia in 1997. Through a longtime family friend, Lois Stern, he met Elaine Schwartz, who was his companion for 17 years. Together they enjoyed an active life exploring the outdoors, seeing plays, visiting museums in Manhattan, and traveling around the world.

Even in his later years, his mind was still "like a steel trap," Stern said. But eventually, it was time to draw the final curtain, Stern said in her eulogy.

He is survived by another son, Paul Wallach, of Webster, New York; and two grandchildren. The funeral service was held Nov. 19 at Calverton National Cemetery.