Ken Davenport - Opinions from a Broadway Producer

TKTS Update: A "comment" from the President (of the TSA)

If you don't read the comments on my blogs, then you're missing out.  I pride myself on having some serious smarty-pants readers (including the ones that disagree with me).

And if you don't read them, you missed a comment from Times Square Alliance President, Tim Tompkins, about our search for more info on the TKTS booth.

It's an important comment, so I'm pulling it out and putting it up on the mainstage.  Here's what Tim had to say:

I want to apologize for one of our employees having hung up on someone who was asking questions about the Duffy Square project.  That wasn't appropriate or professional. 

If anyone has questions about the project, they can call Minerva Martinez at 212-452-5213.

There is no doubt the project has been a real challenge, partly because of bad luck (the lead glass contractor went into bankruptcy last year) and partly because it is a very ambitious and innovative project from an architectural and engineering point of view.  All that we ask is that people reserve judgment until it is completed; at that point we hope people will see it as an iconic and wonderful gathering place which allows people to enjoy both Times Square and the theater in new ways.

Thanks for the response, Tim, and for acting the way a President (and a Producer) should.  Taking responsibility, giving accurate information on where to get answers, and giving us a positive spin on a difficult situation is something we all can learn from.

When you're in charge, something inevitably will go wrong.  Without a doubt.  Will you be ready?

Because how you react when things go wrong, is the most important thing to get right.

If you wanna sleep, don't have kids.

I ran into a new mommy and daddy the other day. I asked them how it was going and if they were getting any sleep. "None," they both replied . . . And then they smiled.

They love their kid, so they didn't care if that silly little schmoopie didn't sleep a single winkie.

I don't get a lot of sleep when I'm working on new stuff. I bet you don't either.

And I also bet you don't care.

If you do care, don't be a parent or a Producer.

Advice from an expert: Vol. IV. A 'wicked' good investor speaks

Do you ever find yourself cruising the Bway grosses and trying to calculate the weekly profit of Wicked? And then do you ever wonder who the lucky Mother Ozers are that invested in The Green Machine?

Well, I found one sitting in the corner of Angus, waiting for his helicopter to take him to the Hamptons and trying to decide between a new Ferrari or a yacht.

Ok, I exaggerate. He wasn't at Angus.

When I asked him what it was like to be in in such a monster, he said, not surprisingly, that before he started receiving his almost-set-your- rolex-by-them monthly profit distributions on Wicked, he had lost a lot of money in quite a few flops.

He was a reader of my blog, so he knew my affinity for baseball analogies, which is why he smiled when be said . . .

"But investing in the theater isn't about having a high batting average. It's about having a high slugging percentage. I would much rather strike out twice and then hit a home run, than get three base hits."

He paid for dinner.

Update on the TKTS booth: Does hanging up on someone give you a good "rep"?

On Monday, I told you I would test the rep of the men behind the management of the renovation of the TKTS booth to see if someone would take responsibility, and also give a citizen some information.

Here's how it went down:

Call #1:  D. Haller

Ring, ring . . .

D. Haller:  "D. Haller."

Me:    "Hi.  My name is Ken Davenport. I'm a NYC resident and I have an office in Times Square and I'm calling about the construction project at Duffy Square that seems to be incredibly behind schedule.  I was wondering what the delay was?"

D. Haller:  "You have to call Ellen Goldstein at the Times Square Alliance about that.  Her number is 212-452-5208.

Me:  "Ah, ok.  But aren't you the construction management firm?"

D. Haller:  "You have to call Ellen Goldstein at the Times Square Alliance."

Me:  "Ah, ok . . . but can you tell me . . . are you the construction managers."

D. Haller:  "Yes, we are the construction managers but you have to call Ellen Goldstein at the Times Square Alliance."

Me:  "Huh.  Ok.  Thank you."

Call #2:  Ellen Goldstein at the Times Square Alliance

Ring, ring . . .

Ellen Goldstein:  "Ellen Goldstein."

Me:  "Hi Ellen. My name is Ken Davenport. I'm a NYC resident and I have an office in Times Square and I'm calling about the construction project at Duffy Square that seems to be incredibly behind schedule.  I just got off the phone with D. Haller and they said . . .

Ellen Goldstein:  "They tell everyone to call me about this.  I'm not the right person to talk to about this."

Me:  "Oh, ok, well, can you tell me who I . . .

Dial tone.  She hung up.  End of conversation.  Hmmmmm . . .

Call #3:  D. Haller

Ring, ring . . .

D. Haller:  "D. Haller."

Me:   "Hi.  I spoke to you earlier about the construction project in Duffy Square and you said to call Ellen Goldstein.  She said she was the wrong person to talk to and then she hung up on me."

D. Haller:  "Really?  Huh.  Well, let me put you on with Billy."

I don't really know who Billy was.  But he was definitely the Boss.

And Billy was great.  After asking me if I was a reporter, he confirmed that the project was supposed to take only six months.  He told me it wasn't a management problem, and that the design of this project was extremely ambitious (something confirmed in the TSA's own description ).  Did you know that the design actually was honored by the New York City Art Commission for excellence in design? 

I asked when he thought it would be done.  He anticipated it would be completed by the end of the summer.

Billy then apologized for Ellen hanging up on me and he said I deserved info as does everyone else who lives in this city.

What did I learn in my day as a faux-Geraldo?

• The person that answers the phone is like a soldier on the front lines.  Arm them with the right info so they can deal with "incomings".
• Don't hang up on people.  Duh.  Cuz they might have a blog.  Or write a user review.  Or tell their friends that your show sucks, and you won't have a chance to give your side of the story.
• Speak to the boss.  Go to the top when you want the real answers, even though they may not be the ones you want to hear.
• And my favorite lesson of the day?

Just because something wins art awards and is praised up and down as "significant", doesn't mean it's practical. 

Whether or not you're building a TKTS booth or a Broadway show for a market as complicated as the one in Times Square, there has to be a balance between art and construction.

Free tickets to the A-Train Plays!

The Off-Broadway Alliance, previously known as The Off-Broadway Brainstormers, are sponsoring a benefit performance of the A-Train Plays, aka How The &#$@ Did They Do That In 24 Hours, this Wed., June 25th at 8 PM at New World Stages.

Christine Pedi and Cady Huffman are just a few of the Bway stars that are coming out to walk across a metaphorical tight rope with no net this year.

I'm a member of the OBA, and I grabbed a few freebies just for you!

First 10 readers to email me get 1 ticket.  It's a great show, and a great networking opportunity as you'll be in an audience with a ton of folks from the Off-Broadway community (I'm sure the Time Out Lounge at New World will be hoppin' afterwards).

If you don't get 1 of the 10 freebies, you can still go, and because you're a PP reader, I can get you in cheaper.

Here's how to save $20 and get in for only $30.

1.  Click here or visit www.BroadwayOffers.com and use code APBOB608.

2.  Call 212-947-8844 and mention code:  APBOB608

3.  Print this blog entry and bring it to New World Stages, 340 West 50th St. (between 8th and 9th Aves.)

All the proceeds go to the OBA to help fund initiatives for the Off-Broadway community like 20at20, market research, and more.

Choo-choo, catch the train!

Wait, subways don't go choo-choo.

Ah, crap, I mixed the metaphoricals again.

"I've got a rep to protect."

Truer words have never been spoken, even if they are a quote from my favorite horrible movie sequel ever.

(Side note: Way back when, I tried to get the rights to this movie . . . twice.  I wanted to do a Rocky Horror-type late-nite version, and spoof the 1000-thread count sheet out of it.  Have the actors on bikes instead of motorcycles.  Have the audience do the sound effect of the bomb shelter alarm.  And you all know you could sing along with all the tunes, you cool riders you.  FYI, I was denied the rights and was told that the authors had NO interest in a stage version . . . ever.  Harsh, right?)

Back on topic . . .

Speaking of bomb shelters, I recently walked by the giant disaster area of a construction site in the middle of Times Square that will someday be the new TKTS booth.

Construction began two years ago, and was supposed to be completed just six months after that!  Yet it still remains unfinished (despite this blog that says it would be done last Saturday) and is the ugliest of eye sores in the most heavily trafficked area in our city.  If I was a NYC government leader, I'd be having a fit and fining someone up the you-know-where big time, because one of our main tourist attractions looks like a junk yard . . . and that's gotta have an adverse effect on the people paying to visit our fair Times Square.

End rant.  Back to the point.

As I walked by the site, I noticed a sign posted on the ugly garbage bag-black walls, boasting the name of the "Construction Management" team of D. Haller, Inc.  It's a business card, slapped right on to the side of the walls that have been up for a year and a half longer than they should have been.

In all fairness to D. Haller, I don't really know what the hold up is.  Rumors in the industry are that the stairs were constructed overseas and were delivered late.  And winter weather had a part. 

So maybe the year and a half delay, and the damage to the city's brand, and the disruption to one of the theater industry's chief economic infrastructures, isn't D. Haller's fault.  Or maybe it is?

The fact is, it doesn't matter. 

Cuz if your name is on something, whether it's a construction site or a Broadway show, it doesn't matter who's fault it is.  It looks like yours. 

So, If things go wrong and your stairs aren't delivered on time or it's too cold in the theater or your box office is rude to a customer, you better have the answers and a solution, or be able to stir up some sheet in order to find one.

Otherwise, you'll never have to worry about producing a sequel to anything.

Let's have some fun.  As a little test, I'm going to call D. Haller in the AM and find out what in the name of Michelle Pfeiffer is going on.  Tune in tomorrow.  I'll let you know exactly what they say.

A whole new world.

For those of you following me on Twitter, you know that I've been watching a lot of Sorkin lately.  I was in the middle of the third episode of Sports Night, when I realized that once again he was taking me somewhere I had never been before . . . and there was no magic carpet required.

In West Wing, he took his audiences behind the scenes of The Oval Office, a place steeped in mystery and excitement and high stakes, and something the world doesn't really know much about, because we're not allowed access.

In Studio 60, he took his audiences behind the scenes of SNL, a place steeped in mystery and excitement and high stakes, and something the world doesn't really know much about, because we're not allowed access.

Sports Night?  Same thing.  A Few Good Men?  I'd never seen a military trial for murder with words like Code Red before, had you?

Sorkin opens doors that are usually closed.  The subject matter alone is enough to excite the audience into tuning in, and then his twists and turns keep you there.

And when he's done, you feel like you've learned something about a subculture that you knew nothing about before.  You feel like you're on the inside.  You feel like a Soprano (another great example of this device).

Works in the theater too:  A Chorus Line, Wicked, Rent . . . heck, even Cats!

Your audience is Jasmine.  You are Aladdin.  Take her somewhere. 

And listen, that girl has been around, so don't show her the usual sights.  Show her a subculture. 

A free ticket offer for PP readers!

My good friend and Assoc. Producer on Altar Boyz, Stephen Kocis, is producing BASH'd, the winner of the 2008 GLAAD Media Award, which opens Off-Broadway in less than a week!

Stephen has generously offered to give 5 pairs of tickets per night to my readers for f-r-e-e . . . a much better distribution method than a papering service.  And, I don't even think he's charging $1 (But you'd pay it, wouldn't you?).

Here's the scoop:

Tickets are available for the following performances:

Thursday June 19th @  8 PM (TONIGHT)
Friday June 20th @ 7:30 PM
Friday, June 20th @ 10 PM
Saturday, June 21st @ 10:30 PM

The show is at the Zipper Factory Theater, located at 336 West 37th St. (between 8th and 9th).

To reserve your freebies, email bashdpreviews@agedinwood.net and include your full name, the performance you'd like to attend, the # of tickets (1 or 2), and . . . important . . . that you heard about the offer from my blog.

FYI, these tickets are very limited and will go quickly, so act now if you want to see the show!  And . . . disclaimer alert . . . although Stephen has held some tickets for us, he does have the right to yank the offer if a ginormous group of girl scouts all of a sudden wants full price tickets for a performance.

Actually, I'd pay full price just to see their reaction to this show.

Enjoy! 

And the winner of the Tony Award for Smartest Blog Readers Goes To . . .

I love this.

The winner of our Tony Pool, with 23 out of 26 correct answers, beat the experts. 

Theater things that don't make sense: Vol. 3. We need you. Pay up.

This year's Tony Awards featured more performances than previous years.  Why?  Because the producers of the Tonys know that performances are what America wants to see. 

Our fans in Ohio and Florida would much rather watch the original cast of Rent or see a number from Young Frankenstein (whether or not it was nominated) than watch the acceptance speech for Best Sound Design of a Play.  Wouldn't you? 

That's why I watched from the suburbs of Massachusetts in the late 80s.  In those pre-YouYube days, I used to record the Tonys on our VCR so I could watch them over and over again.  And it worked!  The Tony performance of Secret Garden got me to buy tickets . . . twice.

What you may not know is that those Tony performances cost money.  A LOT of money.  A performance by a big musical can easily cost $200k - $300k.  The cast members get a week's salary (up to a cap), new sets and props have to be built (we had to build an entire new set of desks for Millie's "Forget About The Boy" appearance in 2002), there are dresser costs, recording session expenses (the ensembles are tracked, the principals are live), transportation costs, stagehands costs, and so on.  It adds up! 

Since The Tonys need these performances to attract an audience, to build ratings, to get advertisers, to make money, you would think that they would pay for the appearance, right?

Nope.  The Tony Awards give each show a stipend to offset the costs of their performance, but they don't pay for the whole thing.  How much?  A whopping $20k.  And that's for nominated shows.  Non-nominated shows pay full freight.

So we provide the content for them to make money, and we pay for the bulk of it.  Seems crazy, right?  And did I tell you that they get to approve of the number?

You're probably saying, "The ratings are so low, we're lucky we even get a show."  It's true, sort of.  Thank God for CBS's commitment to The Tonys, but they're not doing this for charity or because a CEO somewhere was smitten by a performance of Shenandoah when he was 7.  I was once told by an insider that while the numbers of viewers aren't exceptionally high, the TYPE of viewer that watches the Tonys is why CBS does the show year after year.  The Tonys, as you can imagine, attract a very concentrated group of highly educated, more affluent consumers, which means they can charge top dollar to top brands.

Why do we pay these high costs year after year?  Simple.  When are you ever going to get the opportunity to get a three minute national commercial for your show to your target demographic for $200k.  It's like a blue light special for TV time! 

So we'll keep paying, and for the shows like South Pacific, In The Heights, even Young Frankenstein, it's a no-brainer.

But what if you're Cry Baby?  Xanadu?  All of a sudden that Tony nomination isn't the greatest thing that has ever happened to you, is it? 

Because you have to pay for it. 

- - - - -

My rating of the Tonys this year was a thumbs-up, by the way.  Mo' performances equals mo' better.