Date: Sun, 28 Sep 2008 20:02:07 -0700
Subject: Royal Poinciana Playhouse
To: Council@TownOfPalmBeach.com
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am on record as favoring both the land-marking of the Plaza and the restoration of the existing Royal Poinciana Playhouse. I belong to the Palm Beach Theater Guild and have attended various meetings and public discussions about the future of the Plaza, especially the Theater.
It is disappointing that there is even a question about the worth of a venue for the performing arts in town. The house is a gem, and I am not simply parroting what others have said. It has fine sight lines from everywhere and the slope of the seating is such that all the seats offer a view of the entire stage and hear every word spoken. The décor has both style and class, as befits a Palm Beach venue.
I recall very fondly opening nights when the "crowd" was black-tie, and the house was full. As a contrast, go to opening nights at the Kravis and feast your eyes on men and women wearing "casual" clothes much too small for them, and shod in flip-flops. Ugh!
Redevelopment struggles such as this invariably end up with the developer holding the lion's share and the opponents holding the bag. In this case, the only result I can imagine is the smaller theater urged by the Webb report incorporated in a condominium so the developer can say he kept his end of the bargain. Even worse, after striking such a deal, I can also imagine the potential residents complaining they don't want to live over a theater and then the developer can come begging for relief from his obligations for financial reasons. Shades of the Spiegel argument and from certain of his friends around Town Hall.
Regarding Florida Stage, the Town is not an enthusiastic supporter of avant garde theater. We like the warhorses simply because they are tested, entertaining and always fresh because they are timeless. The concerns of Florida Stage should not influence this decision beyond its capacity for support of the house.
The Court has declared that the original covenant restricting the use of the Theater property runs with the land. That should settle it, making it much easier for the building to be landmarked. If it can be used only for a theater, who can logically object to a plan that upgrades it and puts it to that use?
Unfortunately, developers have an unusual capacity for beating at the judicial door again and again until exhaustion, both psychological and financial, causes a compromise. In the instant case, it seems suspiciously that the developers intend to continue that beating and that they intend to be successful, else they wouldn't have taken on the obligations of developing and operating the Plaza. The covenant issue was settled by the time they came into the picture. They came in with eyes open. It seems the Town Council can determine, logically, that the maintenance of the rehabilitated theater on the Plaza is just a cost of doing business and landmark the Plaza without further discussion.
David G. Kamm
Palm Beach, Florida
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment