Hartford Business Journal

6 Hartford Business Journal • February 4, 2019 • www.HartfordBusiness.com By Frank Rizzo Special to the Hartford Business Journal T he night of June 8, 2014, is one Hartford Stage officials will long remember. It was when "A Gentle- man's Guide to Love & Murder," which the theater developed and premiered, won four Tony Awards, including best Broadway musical. Darko Tresnjak, the theatre's artistic director since 2012, also won for best musical director. The opening night party held at Rockefeller Center's skat- ing rink that balmy late spring evening was a cel- ebratory high for the theater, which was ending its 50th season and getting a taste of the national spotlight, with the promise of a new income stream, thanks to royalties from the show pre- miering on Broadway and elsewhere. The musical ran for more than two years in New York City, with 905 per- formances, then toured nationally. It also received an Australian production. Then came the musical "Anastasia," which premiered at Hartford Stage in 2016 and is still running on Broadway after nearly two years. It's now touring nationally and has two separate pro- ductions in Europe, with several more expected internationally this year. So far, royalties from both shows have brought back about $500,000 to the theater, officials said, money Hart- ford Stage has desperately needed to cover shortfalls in other areas. Part of Tresnjak's legacy during his artistic-director tenure — he is step- ping down June 1 — is that many of his productions have had a life beyond Hartford, providing a crucial revenue stream — in the form royalties — during a time when theaters across the country are struggling financially. And there are high expectations from the theater's leadership for the future of the recently opened play, "The Engagement Party," and the upcoming new musical, "The Flamingo Kid" — which are Tresnjak's farewell shows. But rolling the dice on new shows — especially big-budget musicals — is risky business. Other Hartford Stage productions that were thought to have potential runs beyond Hartford, but didn't, included a revival of the Cole Porter musical "Kiss Me Kate," which, like "A Gentleman's Guide," was co-produced with San Diego's Old Globe. There was also "Rear Window," which was a big hit, but failed to get national play even with Kevin Bacon as star. Still, the awards and attention Hart- ford Stage's two Broadway musicals re- ceived gave a boost to the theater's fun- draising and subscription base, which grew from a little over 5,000 eight years ago to 7,500 today, officials said. However, if you think that means Hartford Stage has been rolling in the green, think again. It recorded a modest surplus of about $4,000 in fiscal 2018, but has been in the red and black in other more recent years, according to its publicly available financial statements. A key issue: Royalty revenues have only partially offset the drop-off in fund- ing from the state, foundations and the Greater Hartford Arts Council. The concern now is what happens when the royalties diminish — or dry up entirely. It's still unclear what the priorities will be for Tresnjak's successor, Melia Bensussen, and for the person who succeeds longtime Managing Director Michael Stotts, who left the the- ater in January for a position with Pa- per Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. His successor has yet to be named. Income from "A Gentleman's Guide" has trickled off, but "Anastasia" royal- ties are expected to continue for a few more years. A look back and ahead Before Stotts departed to New Jersey Frank Rizzo Michael Stotts, former Managing Director, Hartford Stage ARTS BIZ Broadway Appeal Musical royalties lift Hartford Stage's finances, but other pressures weigh on its bottom line Hartford Stage Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak accepting his Tony Award in 2014 for best musical director for "A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder." The play, developed at Hartford Stage, won four Tony Awards that year. Hartford Stage's musical "Anastasia" is one of two recent hit productions that toured nationally and generated crucial royalties revenue for the theater. PHOTOS | CONTRIBUTED

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