I saw this article this morning in the Times and wanted to share it with you.
The real issue is how come we can't or won't preserve our cultural institutions. Any solutions?? Kevin [EMAIL PROTECTED] ******************************************************* Well-Received 'Harlem Song' May Close by Week's End October 29, 2002 By ROBIN POGREBIN Despite strong reviews, "Harlem Song," the variety show at the Apollo Theater that chronicles Harlem's history through song, dance, photographs and film, announced yesterday that it would close at the end of the week unless $300,000 could be raised. The show, performed Saturdays through Mondays, opened in August and was scheduled to play through the end of the year, with the hope of becoming an annual engagement. But the $4 million production has been running at a loss since it opened - most recently about $30,000 a week short of the $200,000 it needs to break even - and the producers said they could not afford to continue. The show has been considered a cornerstone of Harlem's revitalization, which has brought Harlem Starbucks, Old Navy and former President Bill Clinton; it has been seen as particularly important to the Apollo's current $53 million restoration. "It generated a whole new constituency and audience base for the Apollo," said David D. Rodriguez, executive director of the theater. "It created tremendous momentum." The show was created by George C. Wolfe, producer of the Joseph Papp Public Theater and director of landmark productions like "Angels in America" and the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Topdog/Underdog." Producers often post a closing notice in the hope that some investor might save the day. John Schreiber, lead producer of "Harlem Song," said he and his partners were no exception. "We believe this show is too important to the city of New York to close," he said, and added: "A corporation, foundation, individual has an opportunity now to be a hero or a heroine and enable this really terrific experiment to continue." In trying to explain the show's financial struggle, its creators cite a lack of money for marketing and the psychological barrier to drawing downtown New Yorkers up to Harlem for a night on the town. "People are still getting over the fact of going up to Harlem," Mr. Wolfe said. "Hopefully, Manhattan can keep expanding its definition of what comprises Manhattan." "Harlem Song" has run through its $500,000 reserve as well as $750,000 from the Time Warner Foundation and the New York City Investment Fund, a private fund started by Henry R. Kravis. When the producers approached the city and state for help, they were directed back to the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, which turned them down, Mr. Schreiber said. In many ways the show has been a success, drawing more than $2 million in ticket revenue and an estimated $4 million in ancillary retail and restaurant income to the area, according to the producers. One dollar of every ticket sold has been donated to the Harlem Strategic Cultural Collaborative, a consortium of nine arts organizations, including the Boys Choir of Harlem and the National Black Theater. The show has sold more than 50,000 tickets over the last four months to an audience that is 10 percent to 15 percent tourists; mostly from outside the neighborhood; and 65 percent black and 35 percent white. "Our desire at the get-go, to get rid of that invisible boundary between Harlem and the rest of the city, is succeeding on many levels," Mr. Schreiber said. "We have shown people from all over New York City and domestic and foreign tourists that uptown is a great place to visit," he continued, "a great place to see a show, a great place to have dinner and a great community to get to know." Because "Harlem Song" has been running at a deficit, the producers have not had money to market the show, they said; they cannot afford to broadcast a television spot that features Whoopi Goldberg and would cost $100,000 to $200,000 to broadcast. Mr. Schreiber said that if the show closes it would be more difficult to bring it back next year, in part because those who have purchased advanced tickets will be left disappointed. The show has an advance of about $900,000 through the end of the year; half of that is from group sales. The show will also have to abandon its education program; a study guide, just recently completed, was developed with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Even if the show closes, Mr. Schreiber said it may have touring productions and be broadcast on television. Sony is due to release the cast album before Thanksgiving. Arts executives and business owners in the area said they would be sorry to see "Harlem Song" end. Michael Eberstadt, the owner of Bayou, a Creole restaurant, and Slice of Harlem, a pizza shop, in Harlem, said his sales had been up 200 percent to 350 percent on weekends and Mondays because of the show. "One of the really good things that's happened is `Harlem Song,' " Mr. Eberstadt said. "It should be doing much better than it is." Lowery Stokes Sims, director of the Studio Museum in Harlem, said the show had benefited other cultural organizations like hers. "It was starting to bring tourism down from the bus and onto the ground," she said. "This is the kind of neighborhood tourism that we were interested in fostering." The producers failed to gain the financial support of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, one of nine distressed areas designated by the Clinton administration for public financing and tax incentives to spur private investment. Because "Harlem Song" is a for-profit venture, the producers were asked to apply for aid through the nonprofit Apollo, a producer partner in the show. Nevertheless the application for $1.2 million in empowerment financing was rejected. "They did not respond to us positively," said Charles Flateman, the show's executive producer. Terry Lane, president and chief executive of the zone, did not respond to two messages seeking comment. Although she is a fan of the show, C. Virginia Fields, the Manhattan borough president, said "Harlem Song" did not necessarily qualify for empowerment money. "I'm not sure that is the type of project that falls under the empowerment zone purview," she said. "Most of what the empowerment zone has been funding is job creation on an ongoing basis, as opposed to any particular program or service." Leonard Garment, president of the Jazz Museum of Harlem, who has applauded "Harlem Song," said the show was precisely the type of venture the zone was meant to support. "It's the kind of thing the empowerment zone should be doing," he said. "That's what it was chartered to do." Representative Charles B. Rangel of Harlem said he would like to be of help. "Whatever I can do I want to do," he said, adding, "I was hoping the empowerment zone could see its way clear to investing in this." Gordon J. Davis, founding chairman of Jazz at Lincoln Center, said he was very disappointed to hear that "Harlem Song" may close. "Every day I go around New York, people ask me about it, and I say, `It's terrific, you should go,' and they say, `Yeah, I've been meaning to go, I've been meaning to go,' " he said. "And once they know about the closing notice, all those people will say, `Oh, I wish I'd gone, I wish I'd gone.' " http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/29/arts/theater/29SONG.html?ex=1036904381&ei=1&en=6a692df67ea064bc ===== Kevin Amos
