The imminent arrival of the not-quite-a-monopoly, New York-based, joint management operation of the Shubert, Oriental and Palace theaters is big news in Chicago’s entertainment business. For you and me, it means a lot in terms of what we see (or do not see) in our downtown theaters, and how much we pay to see it.
It’s not yet a done deal, but if current negotiations work out as expected, the next season will see these three major commercial theaters in downtown Chicago under the joint control of the Nederlander Organization and SFX Entertainment. Nederlander, which owns the Shubert, and SFX, which owns the Ford Center for the Performing Arts/ Oriental, already are planning a subscription season covering both their theaters; and the Cadillac Palace, where SFX holds 50 percent of the lease and the Chicago-based Fox Theatricals holds the other half, will probably join the combine soon by selling the Fox portion of the lease to Nederlander.
This will have several benefits for the participants in the deal. It will give them strong leverage in deciding what shows play when and where in the Loop, and it will no doubt save money in consolidating management costs. In the best of all worlds, a condition not always present in these affairs, that would also mean more product for the theaters, including the frustratingly vacant Oriental and Palace, and more shows for us to see in the city’s ambitiously restored downtown theater section.
The more shows the better, and with so large an investment in Chicago, the new team might arrange for pre-Broadway tryouts, as well as standard touring shows (which will play Chicago in any event, no matter who runs the theaters), for their big three. Nederlander, remember, took over the faltering Shubert from the Shubert Organization in 1991 and successfully turned it into a much more active house than it had been under the Shuberts.
Signs for the new season are encouraging. The dance musical “Swing!” and the revival of “Kiss Me, Kate” are strong possibilities, and, looking ahead to the spring of 2001, we will be getting a pre-Broadway engagement of the hit London musical, “Mamma Mia,” at the Palace.
On the other hand, some omens we’ve had on the new arrangement demonstrate that we have lost, not gained, shows. “Parade,” a dynamic and innovative but commercially risky musical embarking on a national tour, has been scratched from its scheduled weeklong engagement in September at the Palace. And earlier, the new “Seussical: The Musical,” which had been a possibility for the idle Oriental, was moved for its pre-Broadway tryout to Boston instead, apparently because it was less expensive to do it that way.
These bottom-line decisions affirm that Nederlander and SFX, which also operates the giant New World Music Theatre in Tinley Park, are, in the deepest sense, commercial operations.
Their dominating presence makes it all the more important (and harder) for the other three downtown theaters — the Civic Opera House, Chicago and Auditorium theaters — to remain as competitive forces in booking shows here. The role of the not-for-profit Auditorium is especially important, since the Chicago’s shallow stage makes it difficult for big musicals to play there and the Opera House, home to Lyric Opera, is available for rent only a few months in the summer.
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It’s also imperative for the City of Chicago, which has substantial public funds invested in the renovation of the Palace and Oriental, to keep an eye on what transpires under this new arrangement.
One big question, for example, is how much of a Chicago presence there will be in the new management. If these theaters are to work to full advantage of Chicago audiences, it seems logical that the new arrangement should contain individuals who know the territory and who can have some say in what goes into the theaters.
None of this is clear at the moment. But it is something we need to be very much aware of as the big change takes place.