5-23-08
Jammin the Tonys
The Power and the Glory: May 13 was a fabulous day for Chicago’s theatre industry with Chicago Shakespeare copping the Regional Theatre Tony Award as Steppenwolf’s August: Osage County received seven Tony nominations. But as happy as the ’Wolfies and the Shakes may have been, no one—absolutely no one—had a better day than Steve Traxler, president of Jam Theatricals, producer of seven Broadway shows this season, of which six received Tony Award nominations.
This writer recently borrowed the title of a George M. Cohan song to dub Traxler “The Man Who Owns Broadway,” and the Tony nominations prove the point. Either under his own name or (mostly) under the Jam Theatricals label, Traxler produced one musical and six plays during the 2007-2008 season: Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County, David Mamet’s November, Conor McPherson’s The Seafarer, Tom Stoppard’s Rock ‘n’ Roll, Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming, Clifford Odets’ The Country Girl and the musical Sunday in the Park with George. Of these, only The Country Girl failed to receive even one nomination. The other six received 28 nominations, among them three for Best Play (August: Osage County, The Seafarer and Rock ‘n’ Roll), one for Best Revival/Play (The Homecoming) and one for Best Revival/Musical (Sunday in the Park with George). Thus, Traxler could find himself called to the stage of Radio City Music Hall at least three times to pick up a Tony along with the gaggle of co-producers now customary for Broadway shows.
Among the angels, co-producers or associate producers for many Jam shows are a number of Chicagoans. Indeed, Jam Theatricals is not alone among Broadway producers who regularly rely on Chicago investors to help mount their shows. Indeed, the backing of Broadway shows by Chicago bankrollers will be a topic of discussion in an article in the June 1 New York Times Magazine. The story, which examines various aspects of Chicago’s phenomenal theatre industry, also will take a look at the Joseph Jefferson Awards and how they compare and contrast with the Tony Awards. We hope they point out that the Jeffs present a trophy for outstanding ensemble work and the Tony Awards don’t.
Way back last October, the news first appeared in the media that the 3,600 seat Chicago Theatre was up for sale, and that Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSGE) was negotiating to buy it from TheatreDreams LLC. Other than acknowledging that discussions were underway, neither the MSGE nor TheatreDreams nor the City Department of Planning said a word.
Then on March 16 Chris Jones reported in the Tribune that the deal was done and MSGE had applied for a liquor license for the Chicago Theatre. Exactly two weeks later, at the start of his concert at the Chicago, Mandy Patinkin stopped the show when he found drinks being served to patrons in the front rows, something which he hadn’t anticipated in a theatrical concert (vs. club or stadium) venue and which he refused to allow. Neither Patinkin nor his presenters (Jam Productions) had been given advance notice of the intention to sell drinks.
Having begun its ownership on such an auspicious note, MSG Entertainment finally issued a press release April 11 to announce its purchase of the Chicago Theatre as MSGE’s fifth venue and first outside New York City. The company also owns Radio City Music Hall and (of course) Madison Square Garden. MSGE itself is owned by Cablevision Systems Corporation, the Long Island-based conglomerate that last week purchased the Newsday newspaper from The Tribune Company, thereby pumping some $640 million into Sam Zell’s pockets. The Chicago Theatre didn’t cost even one-tenth that much, although the exact purchase price is confidential.
Designed by brother architects George and Cornelius Rapp, the house was built for big time vaudeville in 1921 as the flagship of Chicago’s Balaban & Katz chain of theatres. The City of Chicago declared it a landmark in 1983 after buying it and spending $21 million of tax money to restore it. But the City, also operating as a booker, couldn’t make any money on the house and sold it at a huge loss to the Walt Disney Company, which tried to bully the City into condemning the protected building in back of the theatre so Disney could remodel and enlarge the stage and stage house. The City wouldn’t be bullied and wouldn’t offer TIF money, so Disney sold the Chicago after less than two years to TheatreDreams LLC.
Under MSGE the Chicago Theatre is scheduled to host approximately 140 concerts and events in the upcoming year, up 40 percent from 2007. MSGE will both present attractions itself and also lease the theatre to other producers and promoters in a mix of concert, dance and short-run theatrical events. MSGE has been represented for nine years in the Chicago market with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at the Rosemont Theatre. Observers expect MSGE to move the show to the Chicago Theatre once its Rosemont contract expires.
TheatreInChicago.com has added an Opening Night Calendar to its list of online features and invites theatre companies—not just theatre patrons—to utilize it. “Besides providing theatergoers with convenient, regularly updated listings of all opening nights, the calendar is also a valuable resource to theatre companies in Chicago, helping them determine when to schedule their show openings and coordinate their dates so as to avoid conflicts with other opening nights,” the site advises. Notes TheatreInChicago.com owner Mark Meyer, “I guess it will only be useful if the theatre companies actually use it, so I hope they do!” So do we. The League of Chicago Theatres maintains an opening night calendar but 1) precious few theatres appear to use it, and 2) only League members can list on it. The TheatreInChicago.com calendar—which should arrange to include League calendar info—can have a broader reach.