Fisher Fortieth
The Sig douse
Harry Nederlander Detroit head of the famed theater family dynasty, reflects on the Fisher's 40 years.
For the
milestone
anniversary
season, the
Fisher has been
dressed up with
new red and
gold carpeting,
-
beige wall
coverings and
afresh- ened
replica of
the first gold
curtain that
opened
Detroiters to
a panorama
of exciting
entertainment.
The bronze
statue on a
marble base
in the lobby,
"The Dancer,"
by Edouard
Chassaing,
cost $25, 000
in 1961.
SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to the Jewish News
n
arry J. Nederlander, the oldest brother
in the legendary theater family, works at
an elegant desk in his company's
Bloomfield Hills offices and plans for
the 40th anniversary celebration of the Fisher
Theatre.
The suite, filled with show posters, also has family
mementos — a framed article about his mother on the
wall and tabletop pictures of grandchildren introduced
to the stage at a very young age.
Nederlander, president of the Nederlander Co.,
easily recalls selling tickets, sweeping
sweeping the aisles and
Fisher
doing other menial tasks before his
Theatre founder David Tobias (D.T.) Nederlander,
cast him into a management role.
The Fisher had been a movie house for 30 years
before its 1961 remodeling into a 2,089-seat venue
at a cost of S3.5 million, and its operation by the
Nederlanders came after D.T. managed other stages
in the city.
Except for times when he was out of town or ill,
Harry Nederlander, 84, has not missed a play at the
space managed and booked by his organization.
There were never any dreams, he says, of stepping,
into the spotlight. The business side of show busi-
ness was the side for him.
Nederlander, one of six children, is part of a net-
work of his-generation and next-generation relatives
operating some 25 performance venues in the United
States, Canada and Great Britain. His brother Robert
heads up the New York office, while nieces and
nephews take on responsibilities associated with the-
ater development, ownership, management, produc-
tion and promotion.
For the milestone anniversary season, the Fisher
has been dressed up with new red and gold carpet-
ing, beige wall coverings and a freshened replica of
the first gold curtain that opened Detroiters to a
panorama of exciting entertainment.
With that environment in mind, Harry
Nederlander enthusiastically tells the personal stories
about the performance house he considers the best
in the family chain, in parr because of its size, stag-
gered seating and decor.
eiN
9/14
2001
R44
JN: Do you think your life is dream-like because of
all the glamour associated with show business?
HN: Show business, as the name connotes, is a busi-
ness. Sure we're making contributions to the arts —
and that's all marvelous — but if it isn't run like a
business, it's soon out of business.
JN: How does it feel to know the Fisher offered a
beginning to some of the most enduring shows
that ultimately reached Broadway, such as Fiddler
on the Roof Hello Dolly!, Sweet Charity, Applause
and No Strings?
HN: It feels good to select and open an attraction
that becomes a national hit. It automatically
makes you think you know a little more than you
really do.
JN: What do you recall about the first-year pro-
ductions?
HN: Our first show was The Gay Life, and it was a
brand-new musical. Everyone worked very hard,
but it just didn't go. Later that season, we had one
of our best hits, No Strings. [Composer and lyri-
cist] Richard Rodgers was a genius, and Diahann
Carroll was terrific. It was a show ahead of its
time, and the fact that it involved an interracial
romance never entered my mind [when we were
making our decision to bring it here].
JN: Did you feel you were destined to go into
theater because of your family?
HN: After my father started the business, the
opportunities presented themselves. We had a shot
at it like the Shuberts. As the business grew, every-
body acquired more knowledge and moved into
higher-level positions. As long as we kept growing,
the business kept growing, too. My father taught
us to stick .together and support one another
because a house divided is not very good. He also
had a lot of drive and energy that rubbed off on all
the kids.
JN: What is your work now?
HN: Second guessing. The business today is
watched over by the family but not really run by
the family. We've got some of our children doing
certain things and people who are unrelated doing
certain things — marketing, advertising, group
sales — a list a mile long.
JN: How has the theater business changed over
the 40 years?
HN: We used to do a lot of new-show openings,