Power Transfer at the Chicago Theatre
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One of the new group’s first tasks would be to decide who to hire to manage and book the theater. Speculation continues to focus on Jam Productions as a leading contender for the job, though Jam honcho Jerry Mickelson claims he has not heard from the city recently about the job or his company’s likelihood of landing it. Another candidate mentioned by some sources is the New York-based Nederlander Organization, which currently owns and operates the 2,000-seat Shubert Theatre. Nederlander has admitted difficulty in profitably operating the Shubert, and the 3,800-seat Chicago Theatre–which has more main-floor seats than the Shubert, no second balcony, and a more desirable location–could be a more lucrative venue for the big musicals that are Nederlander’s bread and butter. But Rosenberg says an offer made by Nederlander last year to manage the Chicago Theatre was unacceptable. “It wasn’t even in the ballpark,” he says. A key factor in deciding on new management, notes Rosenberg, will be who has the best ideas about how to keep the theater booked.
Return of the Arie Crown
The Museum of Science and Industry’s exhibit “Star Trek: Federation Science” and the Adler Planetarium’s sky show “Orion Rendezvous: A Star Trek Voyage of Discovery” are the latest example of a phenomenon that is sure to become more and more common: cultural institutions joining forces and sharing resources to mount large, audience-grabbing events. Explains Adler spokeswoman Karol Cooper: “We looked at this as a great way to capitalize on the interest in Star Trek and provide some science education in the process.” The Adler, in particular, could benefit from its Star Trek connection: present planetarium management is intent on shaking the stuffy image that afflicts many science museums. The Museum of Science and Industry has already been working to liven up its reputation with such attractions as the Omnimax film Rolling Stones: At the Max. The Star Trek extravaganza marks the first time the two institutions have worked together; it was first presented at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, which has a planetarium and museum exhibition space at one site. Both the MSI and the Adler had to clear all advertising and promotion plans with Paramount Pictures, the Hollywood studio that controls Star Trek licensing rights. The two museums are splitting advertising costs right down the middle, according to Cooper.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/J. Alexander Newberry.
