Whatever Happened to Garth Drabinsky?

[WalkOn]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 10:48pm

Last I heard he was a fugative and there were/are arrest warrants out for him in US and Canada.

I know I shouldn't.... but in a strange way I admire him. Something like a real Max Bialystock.

Updated On: 1/11/07 at 10:48 PM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 10:50pm

Funny you ask...

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/104358.html

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 10:50pm

I believe he's still on the lam somewhere in Canada.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 11:01pm

Guess not.....

[Dover]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 12:43am

Drabinsky provided a lot of talented artists with the resources to create great theatre. That production of Show Boat is pretty much the most amazing thing I've seen on a stage. Unfortunately he was able to do so because he was spending money that didn't exist. I don't admire his methods, but I can't help but be grateful that we got a few good shows out of it, and a big beautiful Broadway house.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 1:14am

I always thought he was kinda cute, too. In a cockeyed goofy sort of way.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 1:15am

While I think the methods were very wrong, I admire his passion, and that any cooking of the books went solely into his productions.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 1:30am

well "cute" works good in Prison.

[mallardo]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 4:59am

Like so many white collar criminals he has been sitting out his endlessly delayed court dates in comfort and prosperity in Toronto. He still has a hand in many projects - mostly film, some of them "family values" things aimed at bible-belt audiences. Cute he is not. But then I'm bitter - he owes me money I will never see it.

[Tag]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 6:02am

He is creating or producing (or both) a new reality type show in Canada called "Triple Sensation".
Triple Sensation on CBC

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 8:54am

He is, apparently, desperately trying to avoid extradition to The United States because down here, he would probably receive a sentence similar to those guys who ran Enron. America takes these types of charges very seriously.

Perhaps before calling him cute or good for the theatre industry, you should Google him and get a grasp of the seriousness and breadth of the charges.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 10:24am

"...long-awaited trials for fraud, Variety has reported."

No kidding! It's been what, 6 years?

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 10:29am

Well, to be honest it was the pre-felon Garth I found kind of cute, not his crimes or actions.

[WalkOn]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 11:24am

Perhaps I romanticize his actions too much. But there is no arguing that the guy knew how to put on a good show.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/12/07 at 12:03am

Pre-felon Garth Drabinsky?

There have, apparently, been suggestions of all sorts of improprieties going back a long, long time, all the way back to the 1970's.

You really should google or Lexus/Nexus this gentleman. There have been articles about all sorts of situations going way back to the theatre festivals and the Cineplex/Odeon debacle and so on...

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 1/12/07 at 12:09am

Sorry but can somebody explain to be what happened with Mr. Garth Drabinsky?

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 1/12/07 at 2:48am

This link will give a good overview of what happened....

http://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Livent

The opening of night of SHOW BOAT in October 1993 is one of my most cherished theatrical memories, rivalled by the world premiere of RAGTIME (in the same theatre) in December 1996.

Sadly, except for occasional concerts the theatre now sits empty and unused.

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 1/12/07 at 9:14am

He owes me no money, and I do not find him cute; but, his SHOW BOAT and, particularly RAGTIME, are among my favorite theater-going experiences, which began in 1959!

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 12:43am

http://www.hfxnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=10700&sc=8

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 2:26am

From the New York Times:

Garth H Drabinsky and Myron I Gottlieb, Canadians who founded Livent Inc, say through their lawyers that they will not come to Manhattan to face criminal fraud charges brought against them by US prosecutors; Federal prosecutors had asked two men to turn themselves in and confront charges they masterminded scheme that defrauded Livent's investors out of tens of millions of dollars while lining their own pockets; Drabinsky's lawyer, Edward L Greenspan, says his client believes it would be 'very difficult' to get fair trial in US; US prosecutors will quickly file papers in Canadian courts to extradite them; that process could take many months; Royal Canadian Mounted Police is also investigating case, but that probe is expected to take more than a year

and

Arrest warrants are issued in US for founders of theater company Livent Inc, Garth H Drabinsky and Myron I Gottlieb, after they fail to appear in Manhattan court to face charges of fraud; pair, both Canadian citizens, will soon become target of extradition proceedings intended to compel them to appear in US courts

and

Royal Canadian Mounted Police charge Livent Inc founders Garth H Drabinsky and Myron I Gottlieb with defrauding investors and creditors of $325 million; former Livent executives Gordon Eckstein and Robert Topol are charged with taking part in schemes to defraud investors and creditors; police say four men falsified financial statements for nine years in effort to misrepresent financial health of company; Drabinsky, through his lawyer Edward Greenspan, reiterates his innocence; Greenspan says Drabinsky will vigorously defend himself

[WalkOn]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 2:19pm

...the story goes on...

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 5:17pm

Garth, ala Max B. could stage Prisoners of Love when he goes to jai;

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 11:47pm

Maxwas, at heart, a decent guy. It just took him time to discover that.

Garth......

[adamgreer]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 12:45am

I don't admire Garth or his methods.

I do however, love that production of Ragtime. Sometimes, I even feel guilty about loving it so much.