Manhattan Theatre Club has been working with the real estate developer Biltmore 47 Associates on a project to erect a tower above what's left of the former Biltmore Theatre on 47th St. near Eighth Ave., but it's beginning to look as though they may face a common occurrence in theatrical circles: the possibility of postponing the opening.
At a Wed., June 27 hearing, City Planning Commission Chair Joseph Rose probed the arrangement under which Biltmore 47 would renovate the derelict theatre, a project few have been willing to tackle, and the Tony Award-winning theatre company would move in for five years. For providing the renovation, Biltmore 47 has applied for a variance to add 44% more floor space in the residential tower it will build above the theatre. However, Rose questioned whether the deal was good for anyone but the builder.
The terms of the arrangement specify that MTC will have the option to buy the Biltmore after its five-year lease expires, for a set purchase price of $15 million--25% more than the sum that Biltmore 47 has said it will spend on the rehabilitation. (As Back Stage reported May 4, when MTC moves in after the renovation it will still have to shell out an estimated $8 million to make the venue operable.) At the hearing, Rose asked Biltmore 47's lawyer, Jay Segal, why the city should allow the additional construction if MTC was only getting a loan instead of a donation.
Many community residents have expressed their opposition to the massive tower envisioned for the site. It would be taller than any other building in the vicinity except Worldwide Plaza, which is set far back from the sidewalk; by contrast, the tower over the Biltmore would abut the sidewalk, creating the impression of an even greater height. Most opponents have said they support the renovation of the theatre, but not at so much cost to the community's light, air, and quality of life.
Theatre people spoke on both sides of the issue at the Planning Commission hearing, with support registered by Penny Fuller and Tony Roberts, and skepticism by Paul Ames. Roberts is currently appearing in MTC's "The Tale of the Allergist's Wife" at the Barrymore, a few hundred feet up the block from the Biltmore; Ames is chair of Actors' Equity Housing Committee.
Ames testified that the building would fail to provide housing for most of the union's membership, because most actors earn too little money to rent the regularly priced apartments, but make too much to qualify for the 20% of the units to be set aside as affordable housing. As he pointed out, most performers who worked at the Biltmore for MTC would be unable to get, as it were, a room over the shop.