Licensing and copyright rules dictate that no performance of Chicago ["a show about homicidal jailhouse vixens seeking fame"] is to be performed within seventy five miles of its home theater in Manhattan. Thus, a cease and desist order was sent to Lehman High School* (Bronx), which planned to perform the musical with the top ticket being $7. Particularly unfortunate is the fact the principal did not take this possibility into consideration, leading the students to be heart broken, especially after months of practicing, building sets and so forth. Rules are rules, and the principal/other school authorities involved have to take a good chunk of the blame here. He was in that position for many years, so had the responsibility to keep up with the rules. Or, is this limitation not too common? Still ...
But, the ownership of the rights and the basic copyright laws at stake are really to blame. I have spoken about my annoyance at copyright law here before. It allows monopoly of content for nearly (corporate) or over (human) a hundred years, which is patently (they are for something like 20 years ... for life saving drugs) insane. The Supreme Court (7-2) a few years back not only upheld the "limited" time in name only, but even allowed Congress to extend the time for many current copyright owners.
A middle path can be formulated. Chicago has been performed for decades. The story overall according to my Leonard Maltin movie guide was told in film during the actual time (1920s) portrayed. I myself watched Roxie Hart, a non-musical version starring Ginger Rogers from 1942. In other words, it has been out there for quite some time. There is really no sane reason why in 2006 that it should not be in the public domain. But, we are not even talking about a regular for profit performance by some low rent off Broadway outfit. It is a public high school performance! Come on now! There are quotes from the company representing the owners defending themselves -- saying they really are not meanies or anything.
Such was the state -- great for my indignation! -- this morning. But, a check suggests saner heads prevailed:
But later Tuesday, in its statement, Samuel French said, "Despite these circumstances and not to disappoint the students of the school, we will in this one instance permit the production, provided the appropriate application is concluded."
Ad hoc compromises often are a way out of overbroad policies, quite important really. Still, the discretion quite often leads to insanity, arbitrarily too often enough, and this still leads one to be rather concerned.
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* Lehman is down the way -- via the parkway -- from the Whitestone Multiplex Cinemas, a former drive-in ... that in its present form used to be a regular stop for me on Saturdays. It also is where I took one of my SATs some years back. So, there is that "home base" additional flavor to this whole deal.