In some ways I have a soft spot for him. As a theatre obsessed teen in the 90s it was exciting to have all this stuff here in Canada. Particularly being stuck on the West coast--he tried to make Vancouver a theatre hub and built a gorgeous theatre where his productions would play early on.
Kiss of the Spider Woman (which, Hal Prince had said nobody would touch after its disastrous workshop before Garth called him up suggesting it had potential), the 90s Show Boat, Ragtime (100% his idea which he meticulously assembled), Fosse, even Parade (staged after his downfall) would simply not exist without him.
Min a YouTube panel discussion about Spider, Gal mentions how there are simply no other producers working in the old way like him--involved with every detail, willing to take huge expensive risks and give artistically great but commercially risky shows the lavish productions they deserve... And now we know how he could afford that.
Dont get me wrong. I think he's a horrible man. But he's responsible for several of my face theatre experiences.