Ghosts of shows past haunt producer of canceled 'Carol'

The news that producer Kevin Von Feldt's "A Christmas Carol" has been canceled for its December run at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis might not shock anyone familiar with Von Feldt. His troubled show-business history includes several other sketchy cancellations, charges of false advertising, consumer fraud and promoting an airline that doesn't exist, which landed him in jail.

However, that track record raises the question of why the Hennepin Theatre Trust would make this deal in the first place.

"Our policy is that we rent the theater, and if we have an open calendar, any presenter can come in and rent the theater," said Tom Hoch, president of the Hennepin Theatre Trust. "If I didn't rent it to him, you'd be calling and saying, 'Why didn't you rent it to him?'"

It was announced this week that Von Feldt had missed a second payment to secure the venue for a Dec. 15-20 run of the show, which listed F. Murray Abraham, George Wendt, James Garner and Wayne Knight as stars. Big-name stars Stockard Channing and Timothy Hutton dropped out of the show on Oct. 19. Hoch argued that the agreement worked just as it should have and that anyone who bought tickets can get refunds at the point of purchase.

However, it's possible that a week of revenue for the Orpheum in the prime holiday entertainment season could be lost. Chuck Lutz, deputy director of the Community Planning and Economic Development Department, which oversees the facility, said he would expect due diligence to determine the viability of presenters who seek to rent the theater.

"Why would we want a bunch of canceled events?" Lutz said Thursday. "It just makes all the sense in the world that we would want them to do their due diligence vis-à-vis these people."

Von Feldt's most recent troubles with "A Christmas Carol" began last year at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. A production starring Christopher Lloyd and John Goodman sold poorly and lost $500,000. Van Feldt told the Los Angeles Times in January that this year's tour was intended to recoup the losses.

But Von Feldt had earlier snafus with "A Christmas Carol," the adaptation of which he wrote while in a Los Angeles county jail in the 1980s on charges related to the airline scam and a multi-state film promotion. A 1989 project was canceled after George C. Scott pulled out, charging that "payment had not been made in a timely fashion." In 1995, the Missouri attorney general's office identified more than 130 consumers who bought or charged tickets for a Kansas City production that never opened. As in Minneapolis this year, the Kansas City production was canceled because Von Feldt missed a deposit deadline to reserve the building.

Twin Cities connection

Von Feldt, who lives near Rice Lake, Wis., was unapologetic for missing the deposit payment and said Wednesday he was considering a lawsuit against Orpheum managers.

"The cancellation is against industry norms," he said in an interview. "The deposit is to make sure that they can recoup rent and everything, and with just one ad, the show was selling tremendously." Von Feldt claimed that he already had sold $140,000 in tickets.

A St. Paul native, Von Feldt first caused a stir in the Twin Cities in 1972, when the Metropolitan Stadium Authority charged that he failed to provide a contract and didn't make a deposit for a rock concert that was canceled on the day of the event. In 1976, he was sued for fraud and ordered to quit selling tickets for a series of concerts in St. Paul after he was accused of advertising stars with whom he had not signed contracts. He was ordered to pay a $25,000 fine.

In 1984, Von Feldt advertised bargain flights on Hawaiian Pacific Airlines of California, which he purportedly owned. He also promised jobs to flight attendants and pilots, who would be expected to pay $2,000 and $10,000 respectively for training. The ads failed to state that Hawaiian Pacific was not an operating airline, and that it had no airplanes. A Ramsey County judge fined him $150,000 in 1987. In 1991, he was charged in Los Angeles with promoting a series of plays while allegedly not having contracts with the advertised stars.

The "Christmas Carol" stop in Minneapolis was to be part of a tour that is still on website schedules in Chicago, Baltimore and Boston. Sandy Richmond of the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore said Thursday he had not heard about the Minneapolis cancellation. There is some question of Wendt's availability for the Chicago dates, based on commitments the "Cheers" actor has made.

Hoch said he was aware of Von Feldt's previous efforts. Promoters and presenters, he said, go through hard times for a variety of reasons.

"It's a really tough business," he said. "While I would love that week being filled, when someone approaches us, an assessment is made, a contract is put together in a way that is viewed as suiting that deal, and that's what happened here."

Graydon Royce • 612-673-7299

Staff writer Rohan Preston contributed to this story.