Just as Will Ferrell went on sale to the public yesterday (and it’s selling like you would expect it to, so get your tickets now), I signed on to produce another Broadway show:  Blithe Spirit,
starring Angela Lansbury (not to mention Rupert Everett, Christine
Ebersole, Simon Jones, and Jayne Atkinson) and directed by Michael
Blakemore.

If you think I’m nuts to do another show in this market, you’re not alone.  My mom, a proud but still smarting investor in 13, said.  “Why now?”

Simple, Momma.

There are always winning stocks in every market.  And there are always winning shows in any season.  Do you think all the people in the financial industry just stopped going to work when the market plummeted?  No.  The lifers looking for a career and not quick money, reassessed what was working, what was failing, and got back in the game, smarter than before.

It’s my job as a Producer to do the same thing as a mutual fund manager – to try and determine what shows are working now, and what will work in the future, both for myself and for my investors, and make recommendations accordingly.

And I believe that classics, comedies and stars with a dash of a “once-in-a-lifetime”, must-see event is what will stand out to the ticket-buying public.

To be honest, if you had asked me ten years ago if I ever would produce a revival of a 1941 Noel Coward comedy, I would have told you that I wouldn’t even go SEE a Coward comedy.

But times change. Tastes change.  Markets change.  Those same financial analysts weren’t buying alternative energy stocks 10 years ago, but I bet they are looking at that sector now.

The other reason I signed on to this show?

Because Angela Lansbury and Will Ferell are as opposite as Jeremy Piven and George Washington.

As I looked over my show portfolio, there was one audience that I
didn’t have covered.  And just like you wouldn’t develop a stock
portfolio without some exposure to the international markets, I wanted
a show that gave me exposure to the “traditional theatergoer” market.
And one of the most successful comedies in theatrical history and this
star-studded cast including a Broadway legend certainly qualifies.  (I
used this theory as a reason to pick up Speed The Plow last fall to balance my exposure to the musical market in 13, and that worked well).

It all makes sense, right?  Will it work?

Stay tuned to find out.  And feel free to tell me if you think I’m crazy or not.

And Mom?  What do you say?  Are you investing in both Will and Blithe?