New Haveners know Debbie Bisno who produced various cabaret-style shows in New Haven for years at such diverse venues as the Lawn Club and Chow restaurant. Down the road in New York City, Bisno’s known as a Broadway producer. She’s featured prominently on a new TV special airing tonight (Feb. 4, 2013) at 9 p.m. on CNBC.
Betting Big on Broadway is hosted by Maria Bartiromo, the business news broadcaster whom Joey Ramone immortalized in song back in 2001. According to a press release, it purportedly “pulls back the curtain on Broadway revealing high risk, big drama, and mountains of money.”
I was able to screen the show in advance, and the language is pretty sensational there too, promising a glimpse of “Broadway’s biggest capitalists” in a realm where “eight out of ten shows are financial failures.
Bisno, best-known hereabouts for bring the Moth storytelling series to town, at venues as varied as the Q Club and the Long Wharf Theatre, stands out from the rest of the pack in this investor-filled program. She’s the scrappy little producer raising money for a play. She’s also described as having produced a number of shows in league with others, but not having really brought a show along from start to finish herself until this one.
The rest of the producers shown are in the major leagues: Disney, the Jujamycyn company, and a lucky guy who helped bring The Phantom of the Opera to these shores and has made something like $6 million on it so far.
For theater geeks, there isn’t any good gossip in Betting Big on Broadway. The producers of the Spider-Man musical mention that “If it’s to tour, it will tour in arenas,” and it’s mentioned it would need to make 1.5 million a week for three years to break even. But that’s not new info.
Bisno is presented thus:
“Debbie Bisno has a show to sell.” She “has her own money and career on the line.” In her own words, “I’m dialing for dollars.” Bisno’s shown selling shares (for as low as $10,000) in a new production that’s taking about $2.5 to $2.7 million to produce.
The show in question is the “dark comedy” Grace by Craig Wright, the most recent play in Wright’s Pine City cycle.
It has big stars in the cast (Paul Rudd, Ed Asner, Michael Shannon, Kate Arrington), a rotating set, and its run is affected by Hurricane Sandy.
Compared to the other shows CNBC covers in Betting Big on Broadway, Bisno’s is fresh and contemporary. Her production of Grace closed just last month, making it through its entire scheduled 16-week run.
Bartiromo turns Bisno’s journey into a mystery, revealed at the program’s end:
“Later on, find out if Debbie’s Grace will turn a profit.”
The special covers first preview of Grace, its opening night and its mixed reviews.
Bisno says, “Nice ticket sales, but nothing to say, oh, we’re fine.”
Betting Big on Broadway is very business-minded, all about profits with nothing about aesthetics and almost nothing about marketing strategies.
Most of the statistics presented involve the investment it takes to keep a show running, or how long it may take for a show to break even. A lot is made of the flexible pricing structure at theaters owned by the Jujamycyn company.
Our own community’s Debbie Bisno comes off very well. Hers is the most present-tense of the various stories being told, and the most human. And I don’t want to be a spoiler, but things could’ve turned out a lot worse for her.
Hey, Chris, thanks for this wonderful and accurate account of the little CNBC “doc!” It was fun running into you the other night. I am now in London for a month, seeing shows, and scoping out new work over here… Hope all is well. Thank you again. I will certainly make sure to keep you posted on my next Bway project. Planning for Fall. Stay tuned.
debbie