Radio Workshop

42nd Street: A Renter's Drama (Transcript)

by Catherine Fenollosa

In a new spacious building on west 36th street, Kim Sharpe is adjusting from his recent move. His ten-year old Abington Theatre Company recently moved from a small one room theatre on 42nd street to a 5-thousand square foot space. Sharpe says his former landlord was considering new options for the building and would not sign a new longterm lease:

Tape: WHEN YOU ONLY HAVE A 90-DAY LEASE FROM YOUR LOCATION YOU REALLY CAN'T DO A WHOLE LOT OF PLANNING FOR A SEASON, LET ALONE BEYOND A SEASON. :09

With landlords along 42nd street and Times Square able to fetch higher rents, Sharpe's experience is becoming increasing typical. He says about a half dozen other small theatres have moved, opening up shop in former garment factories along the west side. Tickets at the Abington Theatre run about 20-dollars, a far cry from the big broadway blockbusters. But there is a catch, with a move away from 42nd street, there are fewer restaurants and less visability.

Tape: WE'RE ONLY 6 BLOCKS FROM WHERE WE WERE BEFORE BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS DRAMATIC. RIGHT NOW WE KNOW IT'S GOIGN TO BE A BIG CHALLENEGE FOR US TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE KNOW WE'RE HERE. :10

JOHN TAPE: OLD THINGS HAVE TO VANISH FOR THE NEW THINGS TO POP UP BUT THAT'S NEW YORK FOR YOU. :05

John Chatterton reviews off-off broadway theatre and has been following the industry for 10 years. Chatterton says the move away from Times Square is natural for small stage performers.

Tape: OFF OFF BROADWAY THEATRE HAS ALWAYS LOOKED FOR THE NOOKS AND CRANIES AWAY FROM THE BRIGHT LIGHTS. TO EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO DO IT ON 42ND STREET GIVEN THE INCREASING COST OF REAL ESTATE IS UNREALISTIC I THINK. :13

Broadway theatre productions last year set a record high earning more than 7-hundred million at the box office, but the tight economic climate means less corporate funding for the arts. While many of the 80-a-seat blockbuster shows are still packing houses, Chatterton says the situation is worse for small productions that typically charge 10 to 20 dollars a seat.

Tape: YOU CAN'T JUST GO RENT A THEATRE, PUT ON A SHOW AND EXPECT TO MAKE YOUR MONEY BACK AT THIS LEVEL. YOU WOULD HAVE TO CHARGE 40 OR 50 DOLLARS A TICKET AND PEOPLE WON'T GO TO A UNDER 100 SEAT THEATRE AND PAY 50 A TICKET EXCEPT UNDER EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES, LIKE YOU HAVE SIG. WEAVER IN THE PLAY. :18

As some small theatres settle into new homes elsewhere in the city, they are the latest industry to leave Times Square. Rob Snyder is a historian who has written about popular culture in New York City. He says what visitors can expect to find in the area has changed drastically:

ROB TAPE: THE GENIUS OF TIMES SQUARE IN ANOTHER GENERATION WAS THAT IT TOOK THE SOUNDS AND SONGS OF NEW YORK CITY AND PUT THEM ONSTAGE IN PLAYS AND PERFORMANCES THAT REALLY REFLECTED THE CULTURE OF NEW YORK. NOW THAT TIMES SQUARE IS AN INTERNATIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD IT HAS LESS OF A LINK TO THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF NEW YORK CITY. :19

(ambi: circus barker)

In a small theatre front on 42nd Street, Keith Nelson peformes the type of entertainment that was once typical in Times Square. His Bindlestiff Family Cirkus features sword swallowers, fire eaters and the human blockhead, an act where Nelson drills a 6 inch nail up his nose. Only in Times Square for a year, Nelson had hoped to make it a permant home. But when the rent increased from a percentage of tickets sales to 3-thousand dollars a week, he couldn't keep the doors open any longer.

Tape: FOR A TOURIST COMING TO NEW YORK AND VISITING TIMES SQUARE, IT'S IMPORTANT TO GIVE THEM A TASTE OF NEW YORK. WHAT'S OUT THERE RIGHT NOW YOU CAN FIND IN A MALL. I DON'T KNOW WHY PEOPLE COME HERE TO BE IN SUBURBIA.

The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus will take their show on the road this spring. Nelson says he still hopes that real estate prices will allow his variety act back in Times Square. For Columbia Radio News, I'm Catherine Fenollosa.

(ambi: circus barker)