From 1981, the New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/29/theater/he-s-the-avis-of-the-theater-world.html
At the moment, all of Mr. Nederlander's Broadway theaters are filled. That is why, in a rare incidence of detente, he produced ''Nicholas Nickleby'' with the rival Shubert Organization. ''I had the rights to it,'' he explains. ''I have a relationship with the Royal Shakespeare Company. I'm on their board. I thought 'Nicholas Nickleby' was one of the greatest things I'd ever seen, but I didn't have a theater for it. The Shuberts had a theater. I produced the Royal Shakespeare Company's 'Sherlock Holmes' with the Shuberts for the same reason. I didn't have a theater to play the show in.''
Gerald Schoenfeld and Bernard Jacobs, who head the Shubert Organization, and Mr. Nederlander are often not on speaking terms. But they were brought together for ''Nicholas Nickleby'' by Miss McCann, who began her career as a factotum in Mr. Nederlander's office and has managed to remain close to both producing organizations. They are charging $100 - the highest in Broadway history - for all seats to ''Nicholas Nickleby,'' a stage adaptation of the Dickens novel that lasts eight and a half hours.
''We won't make any money,'' Mr. Nederlander says in defense of the $100 tickets. ''The show is just too expensive. I think it will break even or lose a little. I said to Bernie Jacobs, 'Not everything is commercial. ''Nickleby'' should be done for the sake of the arts here.' We each put up half of the money, $500,000 each.''