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Valley theater loses premier actor
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
The Mahoning Valley theater community is mourning the death of David El’Hatton, who was one of the finest actors in the area for several decades.
El’Hatton, 47, died Wednesday at Select Specialty Hospital in Akron after going into cardiac arrest. He had been hospitalized or in a physical therapy facility since June.
On Thursday, El’Hatton’s friends and colleagues remembered him as a superlative actor and director who was devoted to local theater.
“Dave was a man of many talents, but as an actor, he was a king,” said James McClellan, operations manager of the Youngstown Playhouse, the theater which El’Hatton was most closely affiliated. “It’s a rare performer who can manage bravura and nuance, especially in the same portrayal, but Dave was a master of both. I’ve admired him since the first time I saw him onstage, when he was only 20 years old, and his legacy will take its place among the finest actors who ever performed on our local stages.”
El’Hatton’s final role as an actor was in “August: Osage County” in 2017 at the Youngstown Playhouse, and his final directorial turn was in December’s “A Christmas Carol” at the same theater. He was to operate spotlights for ‘Bullets Over Broadway’ at the Playhouse in June when he fell ill.
El’Hatton’s health problems were first diagnosed in 2009. He had a massive blood clot in his pulmonary artery that damaged his heart and lungs, and was hospitalized for months.
He was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia in May, fell into cardiac arrest after an endoscopy on June 6, and was rushed to Cleveland Clinic.
His mother, Mary El’Hatton, said her son knew his life expectancy was limited, and he achieved many of the things on his bucket list.
“He drove to Louisville to Muhammad Ali’s funeral, and to Clemson (S.C.) last year to see the total eclipse,” she said. “He was awed by it.”
“He went to Texas to see a NASCAR race, and drove to the top of Pike’s Peak in Colorado.”
John Holt, former director of the Playhouse, recalled when El’Hatton rose to the ranks of the elite.
“I’ve acted with, and directed, Dave many times,” said Holt. “But the time that Dave gave definitive notice as being one of the most talented actors was spring 2007,” when Holt cast him as the lead in “Sweeney Todd.”
“His performance became one of the most amazing turns on stage I’ve ever seen, anywhere,” said Holt. “The Marquee Award he won was just the tip of the iceberg for what he deserved for his work.”
John Pecano, a longtime friend and theater colleague of El’Hatton, called him “a powerhouse” on stage. “He took every move, every blink, every line of delivery so seriously,” said Pecano. “But as good as he was onstage, he was never ‘too good’ to run crew for a show or help out however he could off the stage.”
Bernie Appugliese, another former Playhouse chief, recalled El’Hatton’s talent and dedication.
“David was one of the finest actors you could ever hope to experience, and he was equally adept at directing,” said Appugliese. “He was theater. He did everything he could to help, on stage and off, no matter how he was feeling.
“David was the perfect example of ‘there’s no people like show people’.”