The Bad Luck Ballet
Can Ballet Chicago survive its latest management upheaval? Last week, immediately following the struggling company’s truncated engagement at the Chicago Theatre, the board of trustees quietly sacked Oleg Lobanov, who lasted only nine months as executive director. “Will it take an act of God to make ballet work in this town?” wondered one observer close to the scene. Many in the city’s arts community knew long before the BC board did that Lobanov was a mistake. He had come to the company shortly after serving as president of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, another financially troubled organization. During his tenure there the Detroit arts press was highly critical of his management, but the trail of trouble did not seem to bother Ballet Chicago’s board. What’s more, Lobanov arrived at Ballet Chicago with little or no experience in the ballet world. And he evidently could not do the fund-raising job critically needed to grow the young company. The troupe almost had to cancel its Chicago Theatre engagement at the last minute because it lacked the funds to cover the theater rental. The Lobanov debacle is particularly disturbing because the company danced well for that engagement despite all the problems. But if Ballet Chicago is to be saved, its board of directors will have to display–in a hurry–considerably more savvy about the company’s management.
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Star
Television star Jason Bateman is not going the get the award for best-behaved performer in last Sunday’s generally slick Heart Strings AIDS benefit at the Chicago Theatre. Bateman, who was set to top-line the show with Sandy Duncan and Bill Cobbs, canceled his appearance, forcing the writers to write him out of the show. Then he showed up without warning last Sunday during rehearsals. His part was hastily written back in, but he still had to read from cue cards. He also had to be outfitted for the evening at the last minute. Despite the trying moments, Heart Strings left Chicago having added close to $100,000 to the coffers for AIDS research and education.
