Posted: 10/4/23 at 4:18pm
Major artists (and their agents) are the only real hurdles for Rudin returning. I assume Shubert/Wankel would give him a house for the right play. He can probably raise $5 mil without much trouble. And there's probably some sucker out there who would put up with his antics as the General Manager (same with ad agencies). Some people might choose not to work with him, which is fine. But even Jerry Zaks said in MUSIC MAN press that he misses him and his wisdom.
The unknown is what kind of hooplah would happen surrounding the show. Protestors, etc. Hollywood underestimated the power of the people & power of social during the strikes. (Drew Barrymore canceling her return to TV, etc.) Someone signing on to a project he's producing and then backing down because of public pressure doesn't help his return narrative. Protests outside the theatre every night might not necessarily hurt a show, but they would be distracting, and distraction is the thing to be avoided...a producer should not be the focus of the press attention.
If he demonstrates change (i.e. detailing his recovery process, therapy, diagnoses, actual apologies, etc) that also goes a long way.
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