Cubby Bear’s Revenge
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Sniping aside, there is no denying the Cubby Beam has found its niche in the local concert business, and the man who’s responsible for much of the success–as well as much of the sniping–is Brad Altman, a former messenger boy and bartender. In August 1989 Altman started doing promotion and public relations for the Cubby Bear; later he would take on the job of booking music acts there as well.
When Altman arrived, the Cubby Bear couldn’t begin to compete with other local concert venues. “It was the stepchild of a place like Cabaret Metro in terms of size, sound, and reputation,” admits Altman, who immediately set about making improvements with the blessing of owner George Loukas. Altman restored the building’s facade to its original 1920s appearance, knocked out walls, and repositioned the stage, producing a space much more sensibly configured for concerts. He also rehabbed the club’s erratic booking policy. On one front he aggressively and flamboyantly–and for the most part unsuccessfully–tried to wrest some popular rock talent away from the city’s established bookers and promoters. (Their lack of enthusiasm for his recent good fortune can probably be traced to this attempt.) But at the same time he sought niches for his club to occupy, booking jazz, blues, reggae, and finally his big winner, country. “I had a sense that country was about to explode,” says Altman, whose relatives happen to hail from Tennessee. When it did, the Cubby Bear was ready. “We opened up the market for country music in Chicago,” Altman boasts.
Put television stars into an intimate theater piece and suddenly it seems you can sell it anywhere. How else can one explain the brisk ticket sales prompted by the announcement that a production of A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers will play the vast Chicago Theatre for a week beginning February 26? “I think a lot of people just want to stare at two TV celebrities for a couple of hours,” said one source close to the booking. Gurney’s play is a touching piece performed in its entirety at a desk where two characters read aloud a series of letters chronicling their romantic relationship over most of a lifetime. It’s generally performed in small theaters where audience and actors are in close proximity. It first was presented in Chicago, in fact, by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company at its former home, which seats a mere 211. A source at the Chicago Theatre, which seats 3,600, said every effort is being made to give the production there some feeling of intimacy. The desk from which the actors read will be positioned close to the audience, and only 2,000 seats in the center section have been put on sale.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Charles Eshelman.
