NEW YORK — A sculptural representation of a bookworm — 140
feet of scripts and songbooks, twisted along a steel skeleton — corkscrews
across the Drama Book Shop in Manhattan. It starts with ancient Greek texts
and, 2,400 volumes later, spills into in a pile that includes “Summer: The
Donna Summer Musical.”
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This 3,500-pound tribute to theatrical history is the
centerpiece of the century-old bookstore’s new location, opening Thursday on
West 39th Street.
The shop — like so many
bookstores around the country — had
brushes with death, caused not only by e-commerce but also by fire and flood,
before encountering a rent hike it could not withstand in 2018. The beloved
institution, where students, artists, scholars, and fans could browse memoirs
and bone up for auditions, was in danger of closing.
Then came an unexpected rescue. Four men enriched by
“Hamilton” — the musical’s creator,
Lin-Manuel Miranda; its director, Thomas
Kail; its lead producer, Jeffrey Seller; and the theater owner, James L.
Nederlander — bought the store from its longtime owners. Kail has a
particularly close relationship with the shop; 20 years ago, just out of
college, he formed a small theater company in its basement. After he teamed
with Miranda, the two worked on “In the Heights” there.
“I was not born in a trunk; I was born in the basement of
the Drama Book Shop,” Kail said. “All of my early creative conversations and
relationships were forged in that shop, and the thought of it not existing was
painful. I couldn’t imagine New York City without it, and I didn’t want to
imagine New York City without it.”
The bookstore is opening the same day that a film adaptation
of “In the Heights” is scheduled to be released in theaters and on HBO Max, and
Kail noted the thematic connections.
“‘Heights’ is about a different place in Manhattan where
rents are going up and businesses are getting forced out,” he said. “There’s an
obvious and clear line.”
The “Hamilton” team closed the store’s previous location on
West 40th Street in January 2019 and put its contents in storage, anticipating
reopening at a still-to-be-determined location later that year. But New York
real estate being what it is, finding that location and renovating it took longer
than anticipated. Then the pandemic arrived, closing theaters, disrupting the
retail, and tourism sectors, and quieting midtown.
Now, the Drama Book Shop is back, just as Broadway gears up
for a late summer return.
“As all the theaters are starting to put dates out there, it
feels like we’re part of that opening gesture,” Kail said.
Visitors can pick up books about theater (including Andrew
Lloyd Webber’s presciently titled memoir, “Unmasked”) as well as “the play that
just won a prize and the play that no one’s heard about,” Kail said. The store
will also sell rare books, such as a first edition of “Three Tall Women,”
signed by Edward Albee, and a first-edition script of “West Side Story.”
Like many bookstores, the owners hope to augment their
income with a coffee bar and food. But there’s a personal flourish: Among the
coffees sold will be a blend from Puerto Rico, part of Miranda’s effort to
support farmers on the island where his parents are from.
“My hope is that we can continue to be a hub for the theater
community,” Miranda said. “I don’t expect we’ll make a great fortune, but I
hope with the coffee we’ll break even.”
The interior is designed by David Korins, the “Hamilton” set
designer. There’s an octagonal banquette inspired by a piece of furniture in
the 1940 film “The Shop Around the Corner” and, for “Hamilton” fans, a pair of
armchairs that are replicas of the one George Washington sits in during the
musical’s Cabinet battles.
The walls feature more than 125 theater-themed posters, 17
of which (“Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “Crazy for You”) were given to Kail by
literary agent Gilbert Parker just before he died in 2019. There will also be a
photograph of Chester, a German spitz who often lounged by the door at the
previous location; Chester is alive and well, a spokesman said, but not
permitted by health regulations now that food is being sold.
The purveyors are anticipating a variety of events, like
book signings and author talks. And the basement — which is not yet finished
but houses a piano on which “Paciencia y Fe,” a song from “In the Heights,” was
written — will be used for workshops and other programs.
Six people who worked at the store’s former location are
rejoining the staff, a spokesman said.
Because of continuing concern about the coronavirus, the
store will have a capacity limit when it opens; the owners are recommending
that people make free reservations online, but there will also be a line for
those without reservations.
Asked what he hopes to see once the shop is
open, Korins said, “Everyone would hope the next Lin-Manuel Miranda and Tommy
Kail will be sitting there, conjuring up their next project.”
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