A Show About Nothing
The stand-up comic was slated for two shows in Mumbai on March 14 and March 15 but both of them stand cancelled.
ONE of Jerry Seinfeld’s (pictured) most famous quotes about his eponymous show, Seinfeld, was that it was “a show about nothing”. And that’s exactly what India got — nothing. The stand-up comic was slated for two shows in Mumbai on March 14 and March 15 but both of them stand cancelled.
According to a press statement, issued by the organisers Only Much Louder (OML): “This cancellation is unavoidable due to circumstances beyond the artiste’s and our control. Issues related to traffic and parking at the venue, which were brought to our attention only a couple of days ago, forced the cancellation of all artiste’s travel arrangements until these logistical issues were sorted out.”
The organisers were denied permissions initially on grounds that there wasn’t enough parking space provided and later traffic plans were cited as an issue. Additional Commissioner, Traffic Police Quaiser Khalid says, “Permissions were provided to the organisers so I don’t know why this has happened. Since we coordinate with so many departments, permissions are always provided at the last minute.” According to sources, the permission was granted on Thursday night.
Vijay Nair, CEO of OML, has been in the eye of the storm over the no-show. He says, “We were denied permissions and were told that weekend shows at the NSCI will not be allowed in the future. After we called off the shows, they told us that we have got clearance.”
Now, OML has to shoulder the monetary burden of cancellation fees to various stakeholders and ticket refunds. There has been an outcry on social media from fans who had been eagerly awaiting the performance ever since it was announced in February. Praveen Fernandes, an assistant director, booked his ticket a month ago. The die-hard Seinfeld-show fan reflects the sentiments of the many who are disappointed. He says, “It’s a national shame. Seinfeld has followers around the world. What will the world think when they hear that the show got cancelled because of parking issues.”
Nair says that it took eight months of convincing Seinfeld to come to India. “Seinfeld rarely tours and he has never been to Asia. Both, his team and us, are disappointed that the show had to be called off,” he says.
Source:: Indian Express
