Theater: You Can Get Rich, But Making a Living Is Hard
I was very excited to get Julian Schlossberg on the show this week to talk about his new book, Try Not to Hold it Against Me: A Producer’s Life, in large part because he is intimately involved with a part of showbiz that I do not understand at all, at least financially: Broadway and live theater. But Julian’s career stretches beyond the stage: he booked theaters in New York City where he helped Warren Beatty save McCabe and Mrs. Miller from obscurity; he had a radio show that brought him into the orbit of George C. Scott, among others; and he did some time at Paramount, one of his more frustrating experiences in his career. After you listen, make sure to check out his book; Elaine May, the director of Mikey and Nicky and a comedic power, wrote a very nice (and funny!) introduction for it. And, as always, share this episode with a friend!
Theater: You Can Get Rich, But Making a Living Is Hard
My family have always been interested in theatre. My brother who is now a retired executive was invited to an early reading/singing of Hamilton. He opted out, thinking that there was no way a musical about Hamilton would be of interest to anyone. I am not suggesting that he really would have invested but he wished he had attended the event - they were lining up investors.
My Theatre Design teacher at Yale, Ming Cho Lee always said, you can make a killing but you can’t make a living—in the theatre.