Cuomo Snubs Broadway

[zainmax]

Posted: 4/29/20 at 11:49pm

Generally, I think Cuomos been doing a great job, but wha??

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marchershberg/2020/04/29/governor-cuomo-snubs-broadway-in-planning-new-york-rebound/#79cf41362c74

Guess Charlotte got to him, and Cuomos a bit of an egomaniac.

Updated On: 4/29/20 at 11:49 PM

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 12:14am

It’s not just broadway, large crowd things are gonna be gone for a WHILE. It’s just too risky.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 12:17am

He snubbed nobody, what a stupid non event. 

[Mike Costa]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 12:32am

Terrible subject here,. This should be deleted since it is actually WRONG.  James Dolan was chosen and is mentioned in the article itself, He owns Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall and well as The Beacon Theater.  None are technically Broadway but if Broadway is part of The Entertainment World then it was represented.

The quote Cuomo said about Broadway was taken out of context.  It is an exact quote but it was in answering a reporters question about health concerns stating that Broadway was going to re-open May 15. Of course no one cares what Broadway producers think about this issue. They are clearly biased to OPEN  and not medical people.

[zainmax]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 12:59am

rattleNwoolypenguin said: "
It’s not just broadway, large crowd things are gonna be gone for a WHILE. It’s just too risky."

People from sports teams (like Dolan) are represented. Shouldn’t Broadway be repped, too?

[zainmax]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 1:03am

Mike Costa said: "Terrible subject here,. This should be deleted since it is actually WRONG. James Dolan was chosen and is mentioned in the article itself, He owns Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall and wellas The Beacon Theater. None are technically Broadway but if Broadway is part of The Entertainment World then it was represented.

The quote Cuomo said about Broadway was taken out of context. It is an exact quote but it was in answering a reporters question about health concerns stating that Broadway was going to re-open May 15. Of course no one cares what Broadway producersthink about this issue. They are clearlybiased to OPEN and not medical people."

Dolan’s not part of Bway. You could definitely group him in the entertainment business tho!!

Also, I AGREE with your second pt. Bway ppl would definitely be biased, although I think that everyone from any business would be biased. I think that I read some unions are involved, so that should make things interesting. Definitely need both sides!!

[GoldenAge]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 1:16am

Updated On: 4/30/20 at 01:16 AM

[BenElliott]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 1:44am

I think that article is a whole lot of nothing. Still doesn't change the fact that Cuomo has done a terrible job at dealing with this virus while putting up the front that he's done well. He "closed" the city down way too late and vastly underestimated the effect that this would have on New York. New York, the center of the world, should've been the first city to go on a serious lock down. It took him weeks to even shut playgrounds down.

Everything he's done well now is making up for the fact that he didn't take the right steps in the first place.

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 1:56am

Oh for F*CK sake people. 

I don't even know where to begin. Golden Age, thanks for joining us just now to present to us a petition. One, might I add will do and should to absolutely nothing. 

Furthermore, zainmax, you're getting pissed over nothing. Does not having a rep, from, say, The Broadway League, mean that Cuomo has it out for Broadway or doesn't care? No, of course not. Yes, Dolan owns three major venues in the city as well as the Knicks and Rangers. However, the one thing that both Broadway and Dolan have is that they involve being in a place where there are tons of folks and no social distancing ability. Did all the major venues at Lincoln Center need to be there too? After all they are theatre. 

 

And, the irony of all this that, I work on Broadway. Each day Broadway is closed is one less shift for me. I want Broadway to be up and running like everyone else. But, I am realistic as well. 

Updated On: 4/30/20 at 01:56 AM

[zainmax]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 2:05am

Islander_fan said: "Oh for F*CK sake people.

I don't even know where to begin. Golden Age, thanks for joining us just now to present to us a petition. One, might I add will do and should to absolutely nothing.

Furthermore,zainmax, you're getting pissed over nothing. Does not having a rep, from, say, The Broadway League, mean that Cuomo has it out for Broadway or doesn't care? No, of course not. Yes, Dolan owns three major venues in the city as well as the Knicks and Rangers. However, the one thing that both Broadway and Dolan have is that they involve being in a place where there are tons of folks and no social distancing ability. Did all the major venues at Lincoln Center need to be there too? After all they are theatre.



And, the irony of all this that, Iworkon Broadway. Each day Broadway is closed is one less shift for me. I want Broadway to be up and running like everyone else. But, I am realistic as well."

Re the petition, dear lawd... I think Bway should be repped, but I don’t think that I’d demand it.

 

re Islander fan, I think that if Dolan and Tribeca was included, then Bway should too. Its more of an optics/symbolic thing than anything.

 Also, lol at the quote from Kenny D!

[Wick3]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 8:45am

I don't think Cuomo snubbed Broadway. We all know that Broadway will open around the same time when concert arenas or sports stadiums will reopen (i.e. Madison Square Garden, Yankee Stadium, Citifield, etc.) 

I think Cuomo is doing a great job handling the situation day by day. In terms of preparation, he and his administration definitely could have done better. I still remember back in Jan/Feb how he and DiBlasio were stating NYC was well prepared to tackle this coronavirus.

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 8:58am

It's not about optics at all. At least when it comes to having Broadway repped during the press conference.

Your, focusing on semantics here. Yes, they didn't have someone from Broadway there. Nor did they really need to. It really doesn't matter if they had a rep from Broadway or just Dolan himself. The same issue would have come up. You have those who work in entertainment in one form or another and they are trying to, just like Broadway to figure out when they can re open for business.  I mean, it's hard, regardless of the size of the venue, be it Broadway or say MSG.. which has a seating capacity far higher than any theatres . So now we just have to wait and see how this all pans out. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 9:02am

@zain I have repeatedly noted the dumbness of what Forbes has written about the theatre that you have posted here but this one takes the cutglass flyswatter. I have also written quite a bit here about the non-viability of (commercial) Broadway for the short and mid term. It is not worth spending a lot of time focusing on as a public official because it is a non-starter. As a side matter these committees are just window dressing. If the League or any of its powerful constituents had a bright idea to reopen Broadway, they would have the governor's ear. But they don't because they can't right now. 

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 9:30am

I'm less concerned that Broadway isn't involved and more concerned that James Dolan is involved.  The guy is one of the shadiest business owners in the history of business and yet he's going to help determine how to save New York.  Wonderful.

[JennH]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 11:10am

^^As someone who's had their personal brushes with him...YEP. He's the actual worst. 

And this whole topic is generally ridiculous. Large gatherings ANYWHERE will not be viable for a while yet. How long? We.still.dont.know. We're treading such uncharted waters here. Jersey is already reopening their parks this weekend, but assuredly they're large enough to allow the necessary distancing. BUT....I do worry about the herd mentality of the masses still overrunning even wide open spaces because we all want to go back to "normal". 

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 12:13pm

I personally think Broadway should be represented. Most of these larger venues do not do 8 shows a week. I think their input would be good on how to handle that. Yes, you do have 20,000 plus people in MSG but you also have 700+ to over a thousand people in smaller theaters 6 days a week.  And there is also Off-Broadway. You also have smaller areas backstage and human contact onstage. People do come from out of state for concerts (And some from out of the country) but they come from all over the world for theatre, among other things of course. It is big business here and the logistics are going to be tricky.  I think their input could be helpful for dealing with smaller venues than stadiums and arenas. That is just my opinion.

[itsjustmejonhotmailcom]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 1:14pm

zainmax said: "Generally, I think Cuomos been doing a great job, but wha??

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marchershberg/2020/04/29/governor-cuomo-snubs-broadway-in-planning-new-york-rebound/#79cf41362c74

Guess Charlotte got to him, and Cuomos a bit of an egomaniac."

This is probably more or less an honorary task force. It would be very difficult to have a working group of over 100 people actually get things done. Also to Hogan's point, the quality and accuracy of theater "reporting" on Fobes is sometimes questionable. These writers aren't employed by Forbes, they are using the Forbes blogging platform to publish articles without oversight from an editor, fact-checkers, etc. Anyone, you or I included, could publish an article on Forbes right now.

[roadmixer]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 1:48pm

I think that all of this talk about the optics or the politics misses the forest for the trees.

It is somewhat of a fact at this point that Broadway theater re-openings are extremely problematic on many levels and, as such, are a long way off. Many many articles all over the media landscape talk about Fall 2021 or even beyond as a more realistic projected timeline for having larger gatherings of people.

There is no argument that Broadway represents a ton of economic benefit to NYC and also is an engine which powers hotel, travel, tourism and the restaurant business in the region not to mention employment.

Governor Cuomo has repeatedly castigated people in government for playing politics over the Pandemic and not following data. He has also called out people for not be honest about the situation. I don't believe that he has a 'snubbing' of Broadway in mind. He has bigger problems like the huge revenue shortfall that is crushing the state's budget.

My take is that AT THIS TIME having members of the League or other Broadway representatives joining this meeting is not productive. If we were discussing Broadway reopening this Summer, it would be another situation entirely.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 2:03pm

zainmax said: "Generally, I think Cuomos been doing a great job, but wha??

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marchershberg/2020/04/29/governor-cuomo-snubs-broadway-in-planning-new-york-rebound/#79cf41362c74

Guess Charlotte got to him, and Cuomos a bit of an egomaniac."

A Bit? That is an understatement 

 

 

[Kad]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 2:23pm

Mass gatherings are off the table for months. The only state in the northeast that has any sort of long term reopening plan is Maine, which has a phased reopening announced through August, and mass gatherings are not a part of it at all at this time.

It’s not a snub, it’s focus and it’s realism: theatre reopenings are not conceivable with the situation as it stands.

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 2:50pm

roadmixer said: "I think that all of this talk about the optics or the politics misses the forest for the trees.

It is somewhat of a fact at this point that Broadway theater re-openings are extremely problematic on many levels and, as such, are a long way off. Many many articles all over the media landscape talk about Fall 2021 or even beyond as a more realistic projected timeline for having larger gatherings of people.

There is no argument that Broadway represents a ton of economic benefit to NYC and also is an engine which powers hotel, travel, tourism and the restaurant business in the region not to mention employment.

Governor Cuomo has repeatedly castigated people in government for playing politics over the Pandemic and not following data. He has also called out people for not be honest about the situation. I don't believe that he has a 'snubbing' of Broadway in mind. He has bigger problems like the huge revenue shortfall that is crushing the state's budget.

My take is that AT THIS TIME having members of the League or other Broadway representatives joining this meeting is not productive. If we were discussing Broadway reopening this Summer, it would be another situation entirely."

 

But concerts for this summer are cancelled and so are sports, So why not have them at the table?

 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 3:32pm

uncageg said: "But concerts for this summer are cancelled and so are sports,So why not have them at the table?"

That has not been determined conclusively. Even the mayor has not ruled out yankee stadium, obviously with restrictions. And there will be indoor sports (with restrictions) long before there is theatre. I know people don't want to accept it, but Spring '21 is the best we can hope for. Even if we can work out the details of health and safety, the economics fails. (And the League knows it, btw.)

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 3:39pm

I do not think he is snubbing Broadway at all. I think he is prioritizing.  While theater is undeniably a big tourist attraction and money maker for the city, the main concern right now is this virus and making sure we’re all safe. Theater will be back, just not right away. People can be sad of course, but creative minds are doing SO MUCH right now to bring us whatever they can. They could’ve just said “we’ll see you when the lights are back!” or something like that. But they’re doing everything they can to bring us programming, events, etc. can people just be thankful??

I am not trying to invalidate anyone’s feelings right now, because it’s a scary time. But I think we can go on with the lights being dark for a little longer. I'd rather go back into a world that's free of the virus instead of having to worry about another wave of the virus coming after theaters are open. This is bigger than all of us. Personally, I'm more worried about these people (actors, management, crew, front of house, etc.) being able to make money in this time, but it's likely they may have to find other ways of getting an income right now.We can't be picky with what they give us right now. We have to practice gratitude and try to find other things to occupy our time. I know that's easier said than done and again, I'm not trying to invalidate anyones feelings, but health, safety, making sure this virus is gone is way more important right now. 

I miss Broadway. I miss theater so much. But this virus is scary, so so scary, and making sure it's gone is the main priority right now. We have to find ways to cope with it, and not let our frustration, our anxiety take over and manifest inside us. Again, that is way easier said than done, and again, I'm not trying to invalidate anyones feelings. But we have to accept Broadway will come back, and we have to accept that it will come back whenever they deem it safe. I do not think Cuomo snubbed Broadway or did anything wrong. 

[theatrepersonNYC]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 8:48pm

One of the key issues is that until there is a safe, clean, functional and utilized subway system, everything else is secondary. 

I also work on Broadway - and the reality is that if  people can be on a subway that is crowded, sharing space to get to work or to the show, or home from a restaurant, then Broadway will function in the same way.

But until we can share a relatively tight space to get to work or to the show, or home from a restaurant, then the city remains dormant.  Broadway follows the subways, which will set the parameters of social distancing in the new New York, on Broadway and elsewhere.

 

 

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 5/1/20 at 1:06am

Can't kill the guy. Hindsight is 20-20 and all that. But when people started branding him a hero, that was a bit much:

“Excuse our arrogance as New Yorkers — I speak for the mayor also on this one — we think we have the best health care system on the planet right here in New York,” Mr. Cuomo said on March 2. “So, when you’re saying, what happened in other countries versus what happened here, we don’t even think it’s going to be as bad as it was in other countries.”

And it was spreading widely in New York City before anyone knew it,” said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and former commissioner of the city’s Health Department. “You have to move really fast. Hours and days. Not weeks. Once it gets a head of steam, there is no way to stop it.”

Dr. Frieden said that if the state and city had adopted widespread social-distancing measures a week or two earlier, including closing schools, stores and restaurants, then the estimated death toll from the outbreak might have been reduced by 50 to 80 percent.

But New York mandated those measures after localities in states including California and Washington had done so.