Crain's New York Business - December 17, 2012 - (Page 25)

HELLUVA TOWN INSIDE Gunning for a Broadway hit BB guns are edging out elves for Christmas-themed Broadway fare. A musical version of the movie A Christmas Story (below), which tells the tale of a boy’s hope of finding a BB gun under the tree, is making its Broadway debut and has been more popular than the encore presentation of Elf, last seen two years ago. For the week ended Dec. 9, 95% of the house was filled for A Christmas Story:The Musical compared with 85% for Elf, which is also a musical based on a comedic film. The previous week, the story about the boy and his BB gun sold 84% of its seats, while its rival sold 70%, according to the Broadway League. “We couldn’t be more thrilled,” said Jerry Goehring, a producer of A Christmas Story. He added that the combination of the play’s focus on family values and the 1983 film’s popularity has turned the stage version into a hit. He hasn’t decided if the production will be back next year. Elf ’s future is also up in the air. Mark Kaufman, executive vice president of Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, said he was very happy with Elf ’s performance. But he noted the hot competition for families’ holiday dollars, citing offBroadway’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical and Radio City’s Christmas Spectacular, as well as Annie on Broadway. —theresa agovino Source Lunch Kate Spade for those not ready for it PAGE 26 Out and About Musicians take to the streets PAGE 27 Help for the holidays Feeling no pain ’Tis the season to be jolly—and hung over. But coming to the rescue is Blowfish, a tablet that’s dropped in water, creating a fizzy mixture of relief. Blowfish creator Brenna Haysom—a former investment banker with an M.B.A. from Harvard—has plans to share her cure with the nation. The yearold, FDA-approved product is already in more than 700 stores in New York, including 250 Duane Reades. Next year Ms. Haysom, who heads up Manhattan-based Rally Labs, expects to ink a deal with a national chain. Demand for the product is strong, especially at this time of year, when people are bingeing at holiday parties, Ms. Haysom said. “There are over 2 billion hangovers in the U.S. a year,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she added. Blowfish, which costs $1 per tablet, attacks the common hangover with caffeine and aspirin, which are mixed with an effervescent. “We are trying to destigmatize hangovers,” said Ms. Haysom, who pointed out that people don’t have to imbibe an excessive amount of alcohol to need a remedy the next morning. “You can get a hangover from two glasses of red wine.” —lisa fickenscher FEEDING THE NEEDY: Stefanie Greenberg of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty f New Yorkers who want to volunteer to help the needy during the holidays haven’t signed up by now, it may be too late.¶ Spots for serving meals or delivering them at a number of New York charities are already taken. At Citymeals-on-Wheels, a nonprofit that delivers prepared food to homebound elderly New Yorkers, a rush of volunteers signed up so fast that the roughly 250 Christmas spots were taken by the day after Thanksgiving.¶ “It’s sort of a hot ticket,” said Beth Shapiro, executive director of Citymeals, which relies on about 300 volunteers on Thanksgiving and 250 on Christmas. “We get families, teenagers and even seniors themselves who want to volunteer.”¶ Holiday time has always attracted a glut of volunteers, but this year seems more competitive than ever, nonprofit executives say.The combination of attention given to hunger in the city stemming from the economic downturn and the hardship suffered from Hurricane Sandy has spurred more people to try to help. That sentiment and the growing trend toward volunteerism has turned some of these unpaid jobs into coveted experiences that New Yorkers have to fight for like a rent-controlled apartment or a dinner reservation at See HELP on Page 26 I BY MIRIAM KREININ SOUCCAR GOD’S LOVE WE DELIVER NUMBER OF PEOPLE it delivers meals to annually 4,500 NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS annually 8,000 December 17, 2012 | Crain’s New York Business | 25 buck ennis Volunteers abound this season—so many that there are waiting lists for Christmas spots

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crain's New York Business - December 17, 2012

IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
THE INSIDER
BUSINESS PEOPLE
CORPORATE LADDER
OPINION
GREG DAVID
ALAIR TOWNSEND
REPORT: SMALL BUSINESS
FOR THE RECORD
CLASSIFIEDS
REAL ESTATE DEALS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SOURCE LUNCH
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crain's New York Business - December 17, 2012