Mr. Miranda and three of his “Hamilton” collaborators have purchased the Drama Book Shop, a century-old theater district purveyor of scripts, sheet music and other stage-related reading material.
Friday, January 11, 2019
Lin-Manuel Miranda and Friends Purchase Drama Book Shop
Mr. Miranda and three of his “Hamilton” collaborators have purchased the Drama Book Shop, a century-old theater district purveyor of scripts, sheet music and other stage-related reading material.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
This is why I want to make a lot of money, not to buy crazy overpriced cars or the fanciest clothes but to save and support small businesses and long time institutions that have made an impact on my formation and artist style. Also nothing would be worse than this place having to be turned into some other useless chain restaurant or overpriced mega store, it is gems like this that make big cities unique and not all homogenized steel masses. My only hope is that it does not become merely a historical piece where people visit because Lin wrote parts of shows there, I hope they continue to keep an updated inventory and reasonable price so people not already established can go there and explore the world of theatrical literature and sheet music. I am neutral on Lin-Manuel Miranda as a person, not the best performer, and a very good lyricist, but like is he trying to be like the perfect person a little too much. I mean it is great that he is doing all this but is he running for Pope? He just bothers me sometimes, and this is just another redeeming quality about him, which just annoys me more.
As a major fan of books and bookstores in general, it always saddens me when they are set to close down. In my home town there was a massive Barnes and Noble (which is now an LA Fitness) that housed two stories and multiple escalators. I would spend hours weaving through the aisles, picking out titles, and reading the first few chapters right then and there. But the best bookstores are the smaller, family-owned shops in which titles are carefully chosen, and the employees hold a love and knowledge of literature. Every time my family plans a trip, I research the obscure, but famous bookstores of the cities. One of my favorites was one in Buenos Aires that had originally been a theatre. The proscenium arch and grand drape were still present, but the stage floor was the coffee shop, and rows of seating were replaced with rows of books. While it was unfortunate that the theatre was no longer functioning, I was content to see that the intricate architecture of the historic theatre was being repurposed for a different form of art. I’m glad that the Drama Book Shop was not only saved, but that Lin-Manuel Miranda wants the original owner to continue being involved in the business.
When I heard the Lin Manuel Miranda and his partners were purchasing the Drama Book Store I was honestly not surprised. I remember going on Facebook the day it was announced that the book store was closing, and so many of my friends were so upset. Many of them shared memories of growing up in and around that bookstore, much like Miranda does. Miranda is known for doing things like this so his choice to save the day and take over the beloved bookstore. Whenever I explore a new city, I love to pass my time in local bookstores. By celebrities stepping up to preserve beloved local bookstores like this, they are ensuring their safety for future generations to fall in love with and explore, which I think is extremely important. With the rise of technology, making online shopping and eBooks the “new norm” I think it’s really important to make sure we work to preserve bookstores to hold up these kinds of traditions.
Post a Comment