Drabinsky And Gottlieb To Be Sentenced 8/5

Variety reports that former Livent theatre producers Garth Drabinksy and his business partner Myron Gottlieb will find out Aug. 5th what their penalty will be for their conviction for defrauding investors. The date was set today, Tuesday July 7th. by a judge in a Toronto court.

On March 25th, Drabinsky and Myron Gottlieb were convicted on fraud and forgery charges. Justice Mary Lou Benotto of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto said they "systemically manipulated the books" at the now defunct Livent Inc..

During this week's sentencing hearing reports Variety, the court heard Drabinsky's lawyer Edward Greenspan read from 46 letters, including character testimonials from arts luminaries such as actor Christopher Plummer, producer-director Harold Prince and author E.L. Doctorow, whose novel "Ragtime" spawned the Broadway musical originally produced by Livent.

Snaring the exclusive Canadian rights for Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, Drabinsky's company restored the historic Pantages Theatre in downtown Toronto (now known as the Canon Theatre) for a glittering opening night in September 1989. There were mixed reviews for the show itself, but high praise for the beautifully restored theatre.

Phantom was a cash cow for Livent throughout the 1990s, and Livent quickly brought in another Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Joseph and the amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for an extended run with Donny Osmond heading the cast.

But Livent's most crucial role came in developing new musicals for Broadway. Drabinsky was instrumental in reactivating the musical Kiss of the Spider Woman after a disastrous try-out in Purchase, NJ. The producer brought the creative team to Toronto and mounted a summer long run of a revised version of the show opening in June 1992. After Toronto the musical moved to London, and finally arriving on Broadway in May 1993 where it won the Tony Award for Best Musical of the season.

A few months after that win, Livent opened a spectacular new production of the classic musical Show Boat at the then brand new North York Performing Arts Centre in Toronto. The show received sensational reviews and a year later opened on Broadway winning the 1995 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.

Additional reporting by BWW's Mark Andrew Lawrence