The Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside. (2010/File Photo)
This story originally appeared on A1 of The Press-Enterprise on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2011.
BY VANESSA FRANKO AND ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITERS
The revitalized Fox Performing Arts Center, the crown jewel of Riverside’s downtown renaissance, opened one year ago after a $32 million renovation.
The city envisions the Fox as an outlet to attract high-quality entertainment to the area, a place for community groups to use and an economic generator to the downtown area, but the first year hasn’t always been smooth.
The theater that in 1939 hosted the first public showing of “Gone With the Wind” experienced bumps along the road to restoring its former glory. Broadway in Riverside, the local arm of Broadway producers the Nederlander Organization, downsized its opening season of touring musicals. Other shows canceled or switched dates. City officials said operator William P. Malone failed to return repeated calls – even about possible bookings – and they cited other operational woes, from a lack of cash registers to unpaid bills.
But as the curtain closed on the first year of the theater’s rebirth, bookings were on the upswing and downtown businesses and community members gave the Fox a hearty thumb’s up for its restoration and ambience. Some, however, had suggestions for improvement for management and programming.
“Overall I’m very pleased,” said Councilman Mike Gardner, who represents downtown. “There were a couple of bumps in the road, which I don’t think is uncommon for a significant new facility.”
Malone, who was the operator of the Riverside Municipal Auditorium and has produced concerts around the country, acknowledged the rough start, but said the objective was to bring quality entertainment to the Inland region and said it takes about two years to develop a venue as a viable tour stop.
“I feel that we’ve graduated from January,” he said.
While city officials say most of the Fox’s earlier problems have been resolved, some still doubt the effectiveness of the theater’s management.
Councilman Paul Davis, who has been Malone’s biggest critic on the council, has backed away from his earlier calls to fire Malone, but he wants to seek other proposals when Malone’s contract ends. Malone exercised his option to extend his contract, which now expires June 30, 2012.
Davis said the $32 million the city spent to revive the theater has brought more scrutiny to the venue, making the question “Do we continue with this particular person” more important.
Mayor Ron Loveridge said he is open to considering other operators.
“I don’t think it’s a slam dunk” to renew Malone’s contract, he said. “I think you’ve got to look at what other choices we can make.”
The downtown venue hosted 87 events in 2010, including the musicals “Annie” and “The Color Purple” and performances by artists including Sheryl Crow, Bill Cosby and Bret Michaels.
The theater also featured performances by such community arts groups as the Corona Symphony Pops and California Riverside Ballet, as well as non-ticketed community events such as community tours of the theater and the annual Ghostwalk, which stopped at the Fox.
Deanna Lorson, the city’s development director, said 78,454 people attended the theater in 2010, including 24,361 people at the 21 concerts booked and funded by the city. The Press-Enterprise made a Public Records Act request on Jan. 18 for information about production costs, sales and attendance of individual shows and is awaiting documents from the city.
PRAISE AND CATCALLS
Mike Gentile, of Riverside, saw songstress Sheryl Crow, author David Sedaris and violinist Sarah Chang during the past year.
“I attended various events when it was falling apart, and always sensed the potential,” Gentile wrote in an e-mail. “You couldn’t help but let your mind drift and imagine it in its glory days. Now to see it reborn, it’s even better than I imagined.”
Rocker Eddie Money agreed. “This is one gorgeous theater,” he said during his July performance.
Malone said that he has had artists and their tour managers laud the Fox’s lighting and sound systems and inquire about returning.
“That’s the winning ticket for me,” he said.
While the theater’s facelift drew raves, the theater’s operation inspired some catcalls.
“(Malone) gets you the acts, but he doesn’t know how to operate a venue,” Davis said.
Davis said Malone was difficult to reach and didn’t return calls, even for potential bookings. Davis said the theater’s bills, including its city utility bill, were frequently paid months late.
According to city documents, other past complaints ranged from patrons having to wait outside the theater in February when a show was delayed, to Malone failing to provide the city with timely information on how he spent city funds.
City officials’ concerns grew so serious that in March they sent Malone a letter threatening to end his contract in two months if the situation didn’t improve. In May, Malone fired his general manager.
Malone said he has complied with the city’s requests. He said there was a mix-up on the bills, which were sent to a wrong address, and that they were paid as soon as he received them. He added cash registers to the bar area in response to complaints from the city.
Linda Jenkins’ hiring in May as front-of-house manager has been key to the theater’s improvement, according to city officials and Malone. Malone said the staff has an information flow chart, which he also gave to city officials, to help direct them to the right person.
But Davis said he has heard complaints as recently as December from groups trying to book the theater that Malone hasn’t returned calls.
Some local groups, while enjoying the theater, have reported issues with management as well. Riverside’s Hawarden Hills Academy moved its annual “Starvarks” show to the Fox after two decades at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium, which is now closed for renovations.
Principal Lennett Boucher said she was familiar with Malone’s “laid-back” style, but still had trouble reaching him. But after she called Davis about it, she was able to schedule a date.
The original estimate for Boucher’s production came in under $7,000. The final cost of the show was more than $13,000 after the Fox added more security, a stage manager and other charges.
Boucher said she had expected the final bill to rise, but was surprised by some of the charges. If the venue had been more communicative, she said, the school could have adjusted ticket prices to offset the cost.
Malone said that the higher cost “happens every day, at every show.”
“I make it clear out front that costs are variable,” Malone said. “I only can give you an estimated amount.”
Despite the issues, the school has booked the Fox for this year because it can hold more than 1,000 people and because Boucher had a good experience with the theater itself, including the event staff at the production and the sound system and lighting.
Kellie Brown, administrative assistant to the dean of California Baptist University’s school of music, praised the Fox theater, but said there were challenges leading up to a Cal Baptist Choir and Orchestra show. She declined to give details.
“I’m looking forward to this management improving this year,” she said. The group returns to the Fox in May.
Some groups, however, offered only praise.
California Riverside Ballet, which put on multiple performances of “The Nutcracker” in December and also held a fundraiser at the Fox, is an example.
Walt Straiton, artistic director of Corona Symphony Orchestra and music director/conductor of the Corona Symphony Pops, said Malone provided everything he needed in a timely fashion.
And Tom Hunt, president of California Riverside Ballet’s board, said Malone and his staff, including Jenkins, were very professional and helpful.
“The city’s really got things going in the right direction,” he said.
MEASURING SUCCESS
What spells success for a new venue? Industry expert Dave Brooks, senior writer at Venues Today, says the theater must meet the programming needs of the community and build a strong reputation among artists.
It’s vital, he said, to have “a diverse amount of events that represent the people who live in town.”
And, he added, making money for the theater and boosting traffic for the surrounding businesses are the bottom line.
Malone said that to build the venue, the Fox has to show that the market can support the talent. He said classic rock shows, such as Pat Benatar, have done well, as have “The Nutcracker” and the Riverside County Philharmonic.
Carl Thompson, general manager of Broadway in Riverside, said about 20,000 people attended the five touring musicals helmed by the Nederlander Organization. He noted that it was a “pretty good first year.”
But to keep the shows coming, Thompson said, the community needs to consistently fill seats.
Overall, there were 10 sellouts in the first year of the theater, according to Lorson, Riverside’s development director.
The city-subsidized events that sold out included one of two Sheryl Crow opening-weekend shows; two shows by Bill Cosby; concerts by Natalie Cole and Pat Benatar; and a “Gone With the Wind” anniversary screening and its accompanying soiree.
Outside shows that packed the theater were The 82nd Airborne Division All-American Chorus and two of three ticketed performances of the California Riverside Ballet’s “The Nutcracker.”
“It’s definitely a family market,” Thompson said, noting that many shows from the first musical at the Fox, “Annie,” were near-sellouts.
He said that baby boomers are plentiful, boosting attendance for “Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles.”
Broadway in Riverside has learned to adjust to its market. The original eight performances scheduled for the first season were cut to five for “Annie,” “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Hairspray.”
For the second season, each touring production booked five shows. And they’ve scheduled all shows on the weekends because so many Inland residents are commuters who can’t attend mid-week performances.
TICKET TRENDS
Theater producers learned a lot about Inland fans last year. For example, they buy tickets at the last minute, Thompson said.
And they want cheaper tickets, said Malone.
Comparing ticket prices is an inexact science, because each venue doesn’t book the same act at the same time of year. But a Press-Enterprise survey of a selection of artists at the Fox and other area venues found that the Fox was in line with the California Theatre of the Performing Arts in San Bernardino, and ticket prices were lower than those at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert.
Compared to area casinos, the tickets often fell in the same price range, although the Fox’s top seats cost more than those in the casinos.
The Fox tries to offer low-end tickets around the $30 range for each show, said Malone, who added that he’d like to see lower ticket prices himself.
Davis and Gardner want more shows for the under-35 crowd. Davis suggested mainstream pop/rock acts such as John Mayer, Matchbox 20 and Train. Gardner said some acts that have been suggested to him include alternative bands Weezer, The Black Keys and The National.
“The artists that we’re getting for the most part are artists that you would see at the fairgrounds-type shows,” Davis said. “I don’t know if that’s because of Bill (Malone) or because our venue isn’t big enough.”
Malone said he is working on booking some younger-skewing artists for the fall season, but he envisions the Riverside Municipal Auditorium as the place to house those shows after its renovations are complete because its removable seating makes it better suited to such concerts.
He also wants to sign more country acts at the Fox.
The eclectic mix of programming has been drawing some local residents to multiple shows.
Linda McCart, of Norco, has seen Pat Benatar, Bret Michaels and “The Color Purple” at the Fox. She used to drive to San Diego, Los Angeles and Thousand Oaks to see performances.
“Being able to drive for 20 minutes to the Fox to enjoy a show and then get home within half an hour,” she wrote in an e-mail, “is amazing.”