Miranda deus ex machina: Saves book shop!
BY RICO BURNEY
The Drama Book Shop, which
was slated to close at the end of
the month due to rent hikes, was
given new life on Tuesday when it was
announced that the store has been purchased
by Grammy-, Tony- and Pulitzer
Prize-winning actor and playwright
Lin-Manuel Miranda of “Hamilton”
fame.
Manuel is joined in his purchase by
“Hamilton”’s director, Thomas Kail,
and producer, Jeffrey Seller, and James
L. Nederlander, the president of the
Nederland Organization, which owns
nine Broadway theaters.
The bookstore, which has been in
operation since 1917 and has been at its
5,000-square-foot space at 250 W. 40th
St. between Seventh and Eighth Aves.
since 2001, will still close its doors
on Jan. 20, as originally announced
in October, after the store’s landlord
increased the rent from $18,000 to
$30,000.
However, the shop’s new owners and
The Mayor’s Offi ce of Media and Entertainment,
which is helping the new
proprietors fi nd a more affordable site
for the store in the Theater District,
plan to announce a fall reopening date
for the new location soon.
In addition to being a patron since
he was a teenager, Miranda previously
helped the shop recover from disaster
in 2016 when he pitched in to raise
funds after a burst pipe destroyed 30
percent of the store’s inventory.
The New York Times reported that
the store’s longtime owner, Rozanne
Seelen, sold the place to Miranda and
company for the price of the shop’s
remaining rent and current inventory,
plus a promise to keep her onboard as
a consultant.
“I’m 84 years old — I just didn’t have
the drive to fi nd a new space and make
another move… . Lin-Manuel and
Tommy are my white knights,” she told
The Times.
The Drama Book Shop, which was
awarded an honorary Tony Award in
2011, is considered by many in the theater
community to be an invaluable institution
that, in addition to having one
of the largest selections of plays in the
nation, also houses a black-box theater
used by many artists, including Kail
earlier in his career.
“My fi rst experiences directing in
New York City were at the Arthur
Seelen Theater in the basement of
the Drama Book Shop,” Kail said in a
statement. “Thanks to the generosity
of owners Allen Hubby and Rozanne
Seelen, I had a small theater company
that was in residence there for fi ve
years. I am delighted to be part of this
group that will ensure the Drama Book
Shop lives on.”
Reactions to the purchase from the
theater community were almost unanimously
FILE PHOTO
The Drama Book Shop, currently on W. 23rd St., had been set to close before the end of this month after the
rent became unaffordable for the former owners.
positive, with some, such as
“Once on This Island” director Michael
Arden going as far as to call Manuel a
“hero” online.
Director and playwright Nina Kauffman
raised more than $10,000 for the
store through GoFundMe back in October.
“I am so thrilled about the Drama
Book Shop being purchased,” she said.
“It just goes to show how important
this place is to New York City and beyond.
Now it can remain a staple rather
than simply being a legacy.”
Miranda could not immediately be
reached for comment. Former store
owner Seelen said they have “limited
access” to the famous playwright
right now because he is busy working
on “Hamilton Puerto Rico,” which is
y ,
Lin-Manuel Miranda is now a part owner of the Drama Book Shop. opening this Friday in San Juan.
Schneps Media TVG January 10, 2019 11