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Disputes Cancel Broadway Shows
The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch
May 10, 2019
BY BETHANY HOOPER
STAFF WRITER
A Beauty: A peacock is pictured at the water’s edge off Libertytown Road.
Photo by Jim Halvorsen
SALISBURY – Citing conflicts between Wicomico County and a management company, performances of “The Sound of Music” and “Jersey Boys” at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center have been cancelled. In a statement on Monday, the county announced neither show will be rescheduled. “The Sound of Music” production was scheduled for May 13, and “Jersey Boys” was postponed on March 28 and had yet to be rescheduled. This week’s announcement comes more than a month after ticket holders arrived for a performance of “Jersey Boys” at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center (WY&CC) and were stranded outside for hours while staff inside tried to correct a technical issue that ultimately cancelled the show. The cancellations announced Monday are the result of an April 30 letter received from NETworks – the management company of both shows – listing demands of Wicomico County in a short timeframe and including concerns about the safety of the venue, according to the statement. Steve Miller, director of recreation, parks and tourism for Wicomico County, dismissed the company’s claims in a statement this week. “Since 2009, the county has partnered with Broadway in Salisbury and
successfully and safely produced 47 shows at the Civic Center,” he said. “The notion that the building is unsafe is simply not true.” Adam Epstein, CEO of Innovation Arts and Entertainment – the producers of Broadway in Salisbury – agreed. “We have complete confidence in the safety of the WY&CC to host Broadway shows and other programming,” he said, “and we will continue to bring shows to the venue as we have for over a decade.” Three days after the “Jersey Boys” cancellation on March 28, the county noted the venue successfully hosted a concert for over 3,000 people. In April, the Civic Center hosted Kelsea Ballerini’s Miss Me More Tour and PJ Masks Live! “Save the Day” without incident, as well as many other events for thousands of guests. In its response to NETworks, the county expressed disappointment with the apparent lack of concern for customers of both shows. According to the county, NETworks unnecessarily delayed the “Jersey Boys” cancellation “without any concern for the welfare of customers waiting to enter the building.” The county went on to state that “NETworks has further inconvenienced these customers by refusing to respond to offers for a reschedule date despite many efforts on behalf of the County, including a listing of available SEE NEXT PAGE
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