Mary C. Henderson, Author and Scholar of Theater History, Dies at 83

Mary C. Henderson, a scholar of the theater whose interests as a historian and curator spanned centuries and as a Tony nominator and critic were up to the minute, died on Jan. 3 at her home in Congers, N.Y. She was 83.

The cause was Parkinson’s disease, her son Doug said.

Ms. Henderson, who taught theater history at New York University and other schools, wrote several books, often lavishly illustrated, reflecting her familiarity with and love of theater imagery and theater artifacts. They included “The City and the Theater” (1973, revised in 2004), a history of the city’s playhouses dating to the 18th century; “Broadway Ballyhoo” (1989), a study of theater advertising; and “Mielziner: Master of Modern Stage Design” (2000), an analytical biography of the prolific and influential designer Jo Mielziner, whose more than 200 shows included the original Broadway productions of “Carousel,” “Death of a Salesman,” “A Streetcar Name Desire,” “Guys and Dolls” and “Gypsy.”...