Jitters at the Met as New Yorker prepares to publish exposé
mainThe former New York Times writer James B. Stewart has been working for a while on a substantial piece on the failures of the Peter Gelb regime. Stewart is a business writer who knows his way around company debt.
He tweeted a few hours ago that the piece is done and will be published on Monday: ‘Yes, my Metropolitan Opera opus for the New Yorker is finally done. It will be in Monday’s issue.’
People are already asking why the NY Times would not commission let alone publish, a Met investigation by its finance team.
UPDATE: There is strong speculation that the upcoming article provoked last week’s decision by board president Kevin Kennedy not to stand for re-election.
Meanwhile, Murdoch’s New York Post is also sniffing around a Met story.
This could be an uncomfortable springtime for Peter Gelb.
Read the published piece, and the surrounding controversy here.
Everyone knows that the Times handle’s Gelb with kid gloves because of his father…
Why is “Springtime for Hitler” (from Mel Brooks’ Producers) coming to my mind…;-0
Funny – that was what sprang to mind as soon as I read this!
Likewise!
it is impressive how Arthur Gelb’s influence is wielded from a year old grave.
Very interesting chain of events for sure. Scary if you work there.
Grab the popcorn.
http://www.newyorker.com/
It’s now up, with a scary duotone of Gelb.
The president didn’t resign. He chose not to stand for reelection. He’s still on the board.
No Kevin Kennedy is not standing for re-election and has resigned from the Board. Totally unprecedented in Metropolitan Opera history. They have made him an “honorary board member”. Read the New York imes article from last week on the subject. It is very clear.
The NY Times article does not clearly state whether Kennedy resigned. It is implied because of the reference to his being named “honorary board member”. But nowhere is it clearly stated he has resigned from the board. Further confusing the situation was Kennedy’s outspoken support of Gelb during this summer’s union negotiations.
It is VERY CLEAR if you read last weeks New York Times article, that Kevin Kennedy has resigned from the Board, in addition to not standing for re-election. This article is over 6 months in the making and will speak to the serious problems at the Metropolitan Opera with Gelb at the head and a slate of Board Officers who have rubber stamped his activities which have helped run the MET into the ground. Gelb is absolutely paranoid and like a cat on a hot tine roof, as he has not been privy to Stewarts investigation, as he would be at the Times. This is both sad and amusing at the same time.
Stewart is best known for having flogged the fake Clinton scandal, Whitewater. His gross inaccuracy didn’t seem to hurt his career. Go figure.
Bring up information well over 20 years old.
I HOPE THE BOARD FIRES HIM. HE BANKRUPTED SONY CLASSICAL MUSIC NOW HES WORKING FIERCLY ON THE MET. SAD…
I seriously thought it would be worse. It’s not nearly as damaging as I anticipated. One thing the article does do, is show mass confusion. No one seems to know what anyone else is doing. Possibly, that’s intended.
A tedious article. In my opinion it’s all the fault of “Klinghoffer,” which was more fundamentally tasteless than any “Tosca” and alienated donors. If the Met goes down, I lay the responsibility at the feet of John Adams.