Alf In
(The Family

The Nederlanders continue as a
prime force in American theater.

F

Yvette Cason, Lawrence Hamilton, Larry Marshall and Andre De Shields perform in Play On!

Although Nederlander calls New
Fresh out of college, all Nederlander
Although it may seem he was des-
York
his home now, he still feels strong
knew
for
sure
was
that
he
wanted
to
tined to work in the theater — his fa-
ther, Robert, and uncles Harry, Joe and carve his own niche in the Big Apple. ties to Detroit and the Jewish commu-
Jimmy own nine theaters in New York First off, he developed amphitheaters nity. "I love New York but miss the
and dozens of others in the United and promoted concerts. One of his ven- community-mindedness of Detroit,"
States, Canada and London, including tures is an amphitheater in Hartford, says Nederlander, whose family be-
the Fisher in Detroit — Nederlander Conn., called the Meadows Music The- longs to Temple Beth El, where he was
ater. It features major concert events; confirmed.
did not grow up an avid theatergoer.
"I come home for Thanksgiving, fam-
"As strange as it may seem, I did not Elton John, REM and Jimmy Buffet
ily
affairs and, of course, some Michi-
have
been
some
of
the
venue's
head-
see all that many plays when I was
gan football games every fall!"
younger," says the first Nederlander of liners.
What's next for this young, talented
"I also started a business called Ned-
his generation to produce a Broadway
erlander Festivals, which promotes con- producer? "I still want to do film but
musical.
Instead, he says, he was busy going certs and develops all-day music haven't found the right project yet," con-
to rock concerts. After all, his family festivals around the country. In June, fesses Nederlander, who along with his
owned Pine Knob (which they recent- for example, I do a Las Vegas show partner Mitchell Maxwell is also pro-
called June Fest, and this year we will ducing Damrn Yankees starring Jerry
ly sold) and the Masonic Temple.
"My father, who is a lawyer and now feature Santana plus five other bands. Lewis at the Adelphi Theater in Lon-
lives in New York, had a passion for en- In the past, we have brought in famous don, England.
"I am pretty confident that I will do
tertainment," says Nederlander, who artists like Eddie Money and Ted Nu-
a film within a year. But I really love
was lucky enough to see the greatest gent."
Still, Nederlander wanted to break the theater. Unlike the concert busi-
musical superstars who appeared in
new ground with other projects, and ness, you get to work with the talent
Detroit from a front-row seat.
So it's not surprising that the younger the theater seemed like a natural trail on a personal basis. With concerts, you
Nederlander's interest in show business to blaze. "I didn't want to produce a play don't get to know the artists. You deal
just for the sake of it. I wanted to pick with their agent while they merely
began with his passion for music.
After graduating from Brookside el- the right production because it's a very show up, perform, then leave."
"For sure," he says, "the theater is
ementary and middle schools and then risky business," he says.
Without a doubt, Nederlander at- extraordinarily rewarding. I think a
from Cranbrook, Nederlander attend-
ed the University of Michigan, major- tributes much of his business savvy year from now I'll look back and say,
ing in business and finance. But he to his father and considers himself very `Wow! Look at what I did — I actually
wanted to try life on the East Coast, fortunate to be a part of the celebrated produced a big Broadway musical!"
and he transferred to Boston Univer- theatrical family.
"My father always encouraged me to
sity, where he went on to earn a degree.
"At first it was a big adjustment. But carve my own path in life and never
when I moved to New York after grad- pressured me to follow in his footsteps,"
Play On! is at the Brooks Atkin-
uation, it was an easy transition," says he says. "So I reached out and tried
son Theater in New York City. For
Nederlander, who still keeps in touch many things, always with his support.
tickets, call: (800) 755-4000 or (212)
with his Motor City childhood friends. I am lucky to have my father to guide
307-4100.
me, along with an avenue into the en-
is
an
Ann
tertainment
business."
Alice Burdick Schweiger
Arbor-based freelance writer.

or 85 years, the Nederlander name has
been an institution in Detroit. In 1912,
David T. Nederlander, a jeweler, pur-
chased a 99-year lease on the old De-
troit Opera House. At the time, he took Lee and
J.J. Shubert in as his operating partners.
Over the next several decades, he acquired
an impressive list of theaters, concert halls and
performing arts centers, and gradually, sons
Jimmy, Harry, Joseph and Robert joined the
organization.
The Fisher and Masonic theaters in Detroit;
the Biltmore, Gershwin, Palace, Lunt-
Fontanne, Marquis, Minskoff, Brooks Atkin-
son, Richard Rodgers and Neil Simon theaters
on Broadway; the Shubert in Chicago and the-
aters in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Lon-
don are among the family-owned venues.
Nederlander-owned outdoor performing arts
centers include Merriweather Post Pavilion in
Maryland, Alpine Valley in Wisconsin, Greek
Theater in Los Angeles, World Theater in
Chicago, Riverbend in Cincinnati and Arrow-
head Pond in Anaheim, Calif.
Now, with the third-generation grandsons,
including Eric, Jimmy Jr. and Scott, the fam-
ily business of theater development, ownership,
management and production is still going
strong.
Some of the biggest musical and drama hits
in the history of American theater have played
at Nederlander establishments, including Sun-
set Boulevard, Hello Dolly, Show Boat, Will
Rogers Follies, Fiddler on the Roof Can Can,
Porgy And Bess, Beauty and the Beasi, Annie
and On A Clear Day.
In addition, virtually every headliner in the
world of music — from Frank Sinatra and Bar-
ry Mannow to Billy Joel and Neil Diamond —
has sung his or her melodies at one of their con-
cert halls.
The Nederlander organization has also
branched out to television, and produced and/or
co-produced over 40 programs for CBS, Show-
time, HBO and other networks.
When David T. Nederlander died in October
1967 at the age of 81, the New York Times obit-
uary said that up until his death, the theater-
owning patriarch "continued to attend family
councils and give advice based on theatrical ex-
perience going back to 1912."
"Since the beginning of this century, the busi-
ness has been an important part of his whole
family's life," says Eric Nederlander, "and we
are looking forward to continued growth and
taking the company into the next century." ❑

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—Alice Burdick Schweiger

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