One of my favorite books, is "Razzle Dazzle:The Battle For Broadway", by New York Post columnist, and radio talk show host Michael Riedel. Believe it or not, but I have been reading his columns ever since he started writing for the New York Daily News in 1993. Man I feel old. Now for those of you that haven't read his book, Razzle Dazzle shines the light on the sleazy world of Times Square in the 1970's, thru to it's triumphant rebirth in the 1990's. Leading the charge were two men. The two men who just happen to be today's blog subject.
Following the deaths of the Shubert Brothers, who's story is heavily featured in the book, the two men, who had been the Shubert's attorney's since the sixties, took control of the organization, taking it to heights it had never seen. Now I'm not going to lie. They definitely had their detractors over the years. And they made some decisions that upset a lot of people. Case in point. The demolition of five Broadway theatres in 1982. Just to clarify, they were not the ones who made the fateful decision to destroy those theatres. They did however support it.
Which in turn caused quite a backlash against them for quite a while. But let's not forget the good things they did. They led the charge to clean up Times Square. They were vital in helping bring shows like A Chorus Line, Cats, Les Miserables, and The Phantom of the Opera to Broadway, which in turn brought more people to the theatre. Those are just a couple of reasons why on May 9, 2005, the Plymouth and Royal Theatre were renamed the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre and the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. I couldn't think of two more deserving men. Stay safe everyone, and keep looking out for each other. Until next time theatre fans.
JWB
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