Stephen Sondheim Calls Emerson College's Plans For Boston's Colonial Theatre 'A Crime'

As reported in BroadwayWorld, theatre professionals and fans throughout the country have signed a petition urging Boston's Emerson College to cancel its plans to convert the legendary Colonial Theatre, where musicals like PORGY AND BESS and OKLAHOMA! were tried out and worked on before opening on Broadway, into a student center/cafeteria with dining tables in the orchestra section.

No less than Stephen Sondheim, whose FOLLIES and A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC premiered at the Colonial, has signed the petition and is having his say on the matter in a Boston Magazine article, where he calls the repurposing of the theatre "a crime."

"I've had shows which tried out in the Colonial," says Sondheim, "and it's not only beautiful but acoustically first-rate, two qualities which are rare in tandem, even on Broadway. For those of us involved in musical theater, it's a treasure and to tear it down would be not only a loss, but something of a crime."

Sondheim is currently working on a new musical with David Ives, based on two films by the Spanish director Luis Bunel.

Another signee is Ted Chapin, president of the Rodgers and Hammerstein organization, who was a production assistant when FOLLIES played the Colonial, and wrote the popular book, EVERYTHING WAS POSSIBLE: THE BIRTH OF THE MUSICAL 'FOLLIES' about the experience.

"It is probably one of the most historically important theaters in the country,' says Chapin.

The Emerson board of trustees is scheduled to meet next week to discuss the future of the theatre.

In the meantime, see what President of Emerson College Lee Pelton had to say about the college's decision to convert the aforementioned historic venue into a dining hall here, and tell us your thoughts on the situation in the comments below!

Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter Keddy