“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.

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Ken created one of the first Broadway podcasts, recording over 250 episodes over 7 years. It features interviews with A-listers in the theater about how they “made it”, including 2 Pulitzer Prize Winners, 7 Academy Award Winners and 76 Tony Award winners. Notable guests include Pasek & Paul, Kenny Leon, Lynn Ahrens and more.

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