Edward Padula (January 24, 1916 – November 1, 2001) was an American theatre producer, stage manager, and occasional director and writer.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, Padula began his theatrical career by directing the book for the early Lerner and Loewe collaboration The Day Before Spring in 1945.
A full decade passed before he returned to Broadway as a stage manager, working on such productions as No Time for Sergeants (1955), Rumple (1957), God and Kate Murphy, and Saratoga (1959).
Lee Adams and Charles Strouse won the job on the third tryout, and Padula linked them with book writer Michael Stewart.
[1][2] Following All American (1962) and Bajour (1964), producer Padula donned the hats of book writer and director as well for the ill-fated A Joyful Noise (1966), which closed after four previews and twelve performances.