The Wang, by Any Other Name

Some might say that the downturn came when they dumped "The Nutcracker" in favor of "Radio City Christmas Spectacular", while others could counter it has more to do with the dumbing of America, but today may mark the darkest day yet in the history of Boston's performing arts culture. They're renaming the Wang Center for the Performing Arts.

Although we don't like to admit it, inside every Bostoninan lurks a 12-year old boy who stifles a Beavis-and-Butthead-style chuckle for the adolescent double-entendre, but soon, no more. Banking behemoth Citigroup paid a whopping $34 million for naming rights to the historic theater, which, in recent years, has had trouble filling its seats and paying its bills. Happily, the infusion of cash into the Tremont Theater Group (owner and operator of both the Wang and Schubert theaters) will allow the arts to thrive despite recent competition from the Opera House, but at what cost? Just a year ago, Mayor Thomas Menino put his foot down when Citizens Financial put in a bid for naming rights to the Boston Opera House, so what makes the Wang Center different?

Fun fact: the Wang wasn’t always the Wang. From its opening in 1925 to its subsequent renaming in 1962, the theater was known colloquially as "The Met", after which time it changed to simply "The Music Hall". Hard times came during the '70s, when touring ballet productions shunned the hall due to its small stage and aging facilities, but the switch to nonprofit status in 1980 and subsequent $4 million donation by one Dr. An Wang was just the fuel needed to turn things around for the arts scene. The hall was renovated, enabling shows like Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, and The Phantom of the Opera to stage their massive productions in a breathtakingly beautiful space. Boston's theater renaissance, however pedestrian the plays, was born.

So in the end, what's in a name? The hard truth is that big-name plays are getting more and more expensive to produce, and if the Tremont Group is to survive in the coming years, they need one thing. Money. So laugh while you can, Boston, for soon the Wang Center will be just another conglomerate acquisition, joining the ranks of the late Great Woods, Foxboro Stadium and Boston Garden as happy memories of an era past.

images courtesy of Flickr users Order of Istari and Abbyladybug