Owners of The Orpheum Theater, where STOMP has played for 21 years, say the producers of the show are violating a licensing agreement requiring them to give the landlord more notice and valid reasons if they want to relocate.
STOMP’s producers notified Orpheum “out of the blue” last week that they plan to move out as of June 15, according to court papers.
They have arranged to go to a rival off-Broadway theater, New World Stages, a multi-theater complex on West 50th St.
The producers said they are leaving because the air conditioning system at the historic Orpheum Theater has been inoperable for 72 straight hours — triggering their opt-out clause.
For their part, an attorney for the Orpheum on Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and East Seventh Street says that such a sudden move will cause "serious and irreparable harm" to the theater. The Orpheum says that they do not any other productions in the pipeline.
Per the News: "The theater is asking the court to issue an emergency order blocking STOMP from making the move and forcing the producers to arbitration as required by the license."
The News has updated their story here.
