#26
Posted: 7/7/20 at 6:54pm
A case of when genuine good intentions just don’t get it right. There are other ways to honor him, a scholarship perhaps. A theater isn’t the be all, end all for legacies.
Nick Cordero Theatre — Page 2
#27
Posted: 7/7/20 at 7:05pm
This is a lovely idea, but I think there's people more deserving - Jerry Herman, Hal Prince, etc... I'd love to see him honored in some other way though - perhaps a scholarship, prize at the Jimmy Awards, or something of that sort?
#28
Posted: 7/7/20 at 7:23pm
I think it's a lovely gesture, but a bit of a misfire. I agree with everything JBroadway said.
Added to that, there are other performers who also died of horrible, drawn-out illnesses. Gertrude Lawrence was a legend who collapsed and died from cancer while she was doing The King and I. Many have died from cancer or AIDS or other things. I know that the Coronavirus is a huge, huge deal right now, but the circumstances of his death, as wonderful as he was I'm sure, don't make him a legendary Broadway performer or writer or director or producer. He was relatively unknown to the masses until recently.
It seems in poor taste to debate his "worth" in relation to naming a theatre and I don't wish to continue to do so, but I do think that perhaps a little perspective has been lost in the heat of this particular moment.
#29
Posted: 7/7/20 at 7:56pm
Right. Perhaps a portrait with a plaque hung in the Longacre (though his connection to that theatre is still less tangible than that of the Brooks Atkinson, where he played more performances)
#30
Posted: 7/7/20 at 8:03pm
Tag said: "Maybe renaming Stage 1 at New World Stages in his honour would be more appropriate. (where he got his start as the Toxic Avenger). There is a LONG list of theatre legends more deserving of a Broadway theatre named after them."
This^^^
Be Kind
#32
Posted: 7/7/20 at 8:50pm
Tennessee Williams. Cole Porter. Ethel Merman. Harold Prince. Angela Lansbury. Oscar Hannerstein. James Earl Jones. Andrew Lloyd Webber. Al Jolson. Jason Robards. Edward Albee. Colleen Dewhurst. David Merrick. Katherine Cornell. Irving Berlin. Julie Harris. Bob Fosse. Gwen Verdon. Christopher Plummer. Jerry Herman. Kaufman and Hart. Mary Martin. They are names off the top of my head. I am sure there are others who belong in this incredible group. None have had a Broadway theatre named after them
While Nick Cordero's last few months on earth were tragic, they do not warrant naming a Broadway theatre after him. Not now or ever.
Updated On: 7/7/20 at 08:50 PM
#33
Posted: 7/7/20 at 10:19pm
I hate to be that person, its a tragedy that he lost his well documented battle with COVID19, but no one here has even mentioned based on Broadway resume his passing would not warrant a dimming of all Broadway marquees. Jan Maxwell legend in her own right, she has the rare distinction of one of the few actors to be nominated for two Tony Awards for 2 separate productions in a single season, in addition to 3 other nominations and 12 broadway credits, did not get a full dimming of the marquees, Carole Shelley a woman with 24 broadway credits, 4 Tony nominations and 1 win, and being a part of the Original companies of numerous iconic productions The Odd Couple, The Elephant Man, and Wicked only had 4 theater’s dimmed in her honor and Marin Mazzie was originally not going to be bestowed a full dimming until community wide outrage.
Nick Cordero was a great person by all accounts, but things need to be put into perspective. If there was a Broadway name to be recognized for COVID19 impact on the community, its Terrence McNally. He was one of the first to pass from the disease and whose death arguably marked when Broadway began to realize that COVID19 would have a much greater impact on the industry then just a simple shut down of a couple weeks.
Nick Cordero was a great person by all accounts, but things need to be put into perspective. If there was a Broadway name to be recognized for COVID19 impact on the community, its Terrence McNally. He was one of the first to pass from the disease and whose death arguably marked when Broadway began to realize that COVID19 would have a much greater impact on the industry then just a simple shut down of a couple weeks.
#34
Posted: 7/7/20 at 10:30pm
Sounds like a wrong expression of sentiment to me. I know he was a good man and all but this is way overboard. Renaming Stage 1 of New World Stages seems more appropriate.
I’ve thought of this one too many times, but it’s time for a BIPOC woman to get her theatre. While Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun debuted at the Barrymore (and was the first female playwright of color to get her show on Broadway), I highly doubt that name will be touched in lifetimes. That said, Les Blancs and The Sign in Sidney Burstein’s Window premiered at the Longacre. Renaming it The Lorraine would not only be a performative gesture but a loving tribute to her legacy.
"When the audience comes in, it changes the temperature of what you've written." -Stephen Sondheim
Updated On: 7/7/20 at 10:30 PM
#35
Posted: 7/7/20 at 10:36pm
Nick Cordero's gofundme has now raised $977,000!!! That is AMAZING!!! Donating to that campaign is certainly one way to honor him and his family. Just thinking more about it, that's more money than I've ever earned from all 11 years of working as an adult.
#36
Posted: 7/8/20 at 1:50am
This will all blow over and go away in a week or two. Social media today has a way of magnifying and intensifying ideas that shouldn't go beyond a couple thoughtful and well-meaning people sitting in a bar chatting about an idea. Same thing with Whoopi and the "Great White Way" kerfuffle. Is anyone still working on changing that? With all the info that blasts us everyday, we humans have short attention spans.
Let's focus our energy on getting the industry back up and running safely around the country, and helping onstage and offstage folks weather this economic firestorm.
#37
Posted: 7/8/20 at 12:09pm
Let's also remember the recent petition to make the Apollo a Broadway house--they didn't want it.
Did the creator of this petition ask Nick's wife and family before making it? I assume not. We need to honor people in a way that's consistent with their and their families' wishes.
#38
Posted: 7/8/20 at 12:34pm
Tag said: "Maybe renaming Stage 1 at New World Stages in his honour would be more appropriate. (where he got his start as the Toxic Avenger). There is a LONG list of theatre legends more deserving of a Broadway theatre named after them."
I doubt that would happen as none of their stages are named. I could see them maybe putting up a plaque or something in his memory on the glow wall.
Just give the world Love. - S. Wonder
#40
Posted: 7/8/20 at 6:42pm
Maybe the McNally Cordero Theatre ala the McGinn Cazale Theatre.
#41
Posted: 7/8/20 at 7:13pm
This might be a nice way for the Shuberts to begin naming the New World Stages theatres.. Just because they haven't so far doesn't mean they can't or won't.. plus they can still refer to each theatre by number officially but have the theatre entrance display the person it is named after outside the entry doors to the seating areas. It seems like an easy yet significant way to honor some of the contributors to the American musical theatre landscape who wouldn't otherwise warrant a full Broadway House named after them.
Many tour/regional houses do this.. The Straz Center in Tampa has Morsani Hall, Ferguson Hall and the Jaeb Theatre. The Kravis Center in West Palm Beach has the Dreyfoos Hall, the Rinker Playhouse and Persson Hall.
Yes these are named after donors/board members, but it is not totally uncommon to have individually named theatres/halls in larger performing arts centers.. Id love for the Shuberts and the NWS management to at least consider it..
#42
Posted: 7/8/20 at 8:26pm
I'd imagine it would cost $$$ to rename a theatre? So if any renaming does happen, it would probably be several years from now.
#43
Posted: 7/9/20 at 3:00am
Given that the statues will probably be coming down at Columbus circle they could make a statue of him and rename it Codero Circle. Just a thought.
#44
Posted: 7/9/20 at 9:44am
Side note, when are we getting the Audra McDonald Theatre. If were going to rename a theater to a contemporary actor, why not the most lauded actress in modern American theater history?
#45
Posted: 7/9/20 at 9:44am
Is it disrespectful to ask: is there a single Broadway house named after any of the many prominent theatre artists who died of AIDS?
#46
Posted: 7/9/20 at 9:44am
Is it disrespectful to ask: is there a single Broadway house named after any of the many prominent theatre artists who died of AIDS?
#47
Posted: 7/9/20 at 10:05am
henrikegerman said: "Is it disrespectful to ask: is there a single Broadway house named after any of the many prominent theatre artists who died of AIDS?"
No. I was just thinking that yesterday. As much as I admire so many of the people tragically felled by AIDS, I think the only person whose contributions would be worthy (in terms of longevity and influence) of a theatre named after him is Michael Bennett. But you raise an interesting point that crossed my mind, too. Not at all disrespectful.
Anyway, I was trying to hold my tongue and keep from shouting, "WHAT ABOUT HAL PRINCE?! OR MERMAN!? OR TENNESSEE!?" when I learned of this I think a plaque somewhere in the neighborhood, whether it's the Longacre or not, would be a nice gesture for Cordero.
I'm still waiting for the Harold Prince Theatre. Why that didn't happen after the memorial is beyond me.
#48
Posted: 7/9/20 at 10:06am
henrikegerman said: "Is it disrespectful to ask: is there a single Broadway house named after any of the many prominent theatre artists who died of AIDS?"
I don't think so, but there SHOULD be a "Michael Bennett" Theatre.
#49
Posted: 7/9/20 at 10:11am
We'll probably get a Chicken McNugget Theatre before any of this. I mean, they couldn't even DIM THE LIGHTS for Marty Charnin, and ANNIE saved the Nederlanders in the same way CHORUS LINE saved the Shuberts.
#50
Posted: 7/9/20 at 1:18pm
Undoubtedly, Covid-19 has had a blistering effect on the New York theater scene. Perhaps a statue honoring Nick and Terrence could be erected on Duffy Square to mark this tragic time in theater history.
"Long live God!" (GODSPELL)
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