Hed TK
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McCourt’s resignations came suddenly. In March he produced a revival of Lillian Hellman’s melodrama Toys in the Attic in association with American Blues. Now, following that show’s financial failure, McCourt says he’s concerned the company is expanding too fast. American Blues has just hired a full-time artistic director, Brian Russell (formerly associate artistic director of Northlight Theatre), and plans to mount four plays next season after producing only one show this season on its own, The Flight of the Phoenix. “After spending two years getting American Blues out of debt, I didn’t want to lead a ship back into troubled waters,” says McCourt.
But McCourt’s misgivings aren’t shared by the theater. “I don’t think we’ve bitten off anything we can’t handle,” says ensemble member Carmen Roman. The budget next season will jump to $150,000 from just under $100,000 this year.
But things may not be easy for the trio. Others have tried to make caviar a major attraction, and they’ve all failed. Former restaurateur George Badonsky set up a lavish caviar bar in Maxim’s, the Chicago branch of the famous Paris restaurant that he bought and attempted to resuscitate in the mid-80s. Customers stayed away from Badonsky’s grand gamble in droves, and soon he closed both the restaurant and the caviar bar. Bloomingdale’s also tried running a caviar bar when it first opened, but that too was short-lived.
