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 Todd Wetherington | Daily Herald Country music entertainer Randy Parton, accompanied by his wife Deb, former Northeast Commission CEO and president Rick Watson, third from left, and lawyer Nick Ellis, second from right, addresses the media Friday during a press conference in Cary. |
CARY - Randy Parton broke two months of silence Friday but neither took blame or pointed an accusing finger at anyone else for the problems and controversy that enveloped a $21.5 million theater project and led to his ouster from its stage and management.
Instead, standing before a cadre of print and electronic journalists with his wife, attorney, former business partner and manager at his side, Parton said he wished only success for the theater.
Parton chose the upscale Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary as the venue for his first public comment since he was escorted off the theater property Dec. 6, when city officials decided he was under the influence of alcohol and should not be allowed to perform.
For many, the biggest surprise at Friday morning's press conference was the appearance of former Northeast Commission president and CEO Rick Watson, a friend and former business partner of Parton.
Watson has been under scrutiny since a State Auditor's opinion questioned his relationship with Parton while he was running the economic development agency. He ended his ties with the commission and while he and Parton are still good friends, they said Friday they are no longer in business.
The brother of music superstar Dolly Parton, Randy began his remarks Friday going back to 2005 when Watson first approached him at Dollywood in Tennessee with the idea of coming to North Carolina and establishing his own theater.
Parton called the Watson invitation an opportunity of a lifetime. “Roanoke Rapids had lost hundreds of textile and manufacturing jobs. And the leaders worked to build an entertainment district to bring dollars and jobs back to the community.”
He said for three years he and his wife, Deb, had labored to get what was known as The Randy Parton Theatre open. “We took the advice of the local leaders and the experts to guide us through the process. We dedicated our lives to this project.”
Parton referred to the feasibility study which said the city would benefit by having not only a theater, but an entertainment district complete with other venues, restaurants and shops. “This study, done back in 2005, showed that without hotels, retail and other types of entertainment it would be tough for this theater to make it on its own,” he said.
When he took possession of the theater last March, Parton said he had to start making rent payments right away based on the total amount the city financed for the project - $21.5 million. Those funds included $13 million for the theater and $3 million in startup reserve funds.
“I went and paid all of that,” he said of the startup. “We were paying the rent although we had not even started the show yet and there wasn't anything else (development) around (the theater) yet.”
Parton said startup money was used for furnishing the theater and buying computers, setting up offices, concessions and gift shop items while “we had the huge job of producing the show and getting the stage set and getting the lights all in place and that's a tough job, really.”
Of that money, about a half-million dollars went to fixed assets, Parton told reporters.
Parton said his agreement with the city “was to do what I do, produce and star in a great musical variety show. I never wanted to personally manage the theater, so I hired people I thought could do the job.”
He said the city was constantly involved in making decisions at the theater. “And looking back, we probably shouldn't have hired this particular management team, but these were folks the city trusted.”
The show he staged was fantastic, he said, adding no one could argue with that. “We used our Parton family contacts and our music business friends to help us put on a show that would have cost millions and we produced it with little cost to the city.”
Parton admitted the audience numbers were not what the city thought they should be and in November, he said he renegotiated his contract, “Taking a pay cut of less than two-thirds of what the city had originally offered and considered fair talent fees.”
(The original contract called for an annual artist's fee of $750,000. Under the revised contract, Parton is to be paid $250,000 regardless of whether or not he performs. His performances are limited to 36 over the course of a year.)
Parton said he agreed to the pay cut and to the city bringing in its own management company, UGL Unicco. “I did that because I wanted to see this progress and to see it succeed and I really do.”
He then discussed the evening of Dec. 6, when city officials deemed him too inebriated to perform.
“Yet after I did all this and extended an olive branch,” he said referring to renegotiating his contract, “just one month later I was shown to the door. I did what I promised I'd do and I fulfilled my contract with the city. The quality of our ‘Little Bit of Life' and Christmas show has never been questioned. The city used the Parton name and the reputation. They came to me. I didn't come looking for them.”
He said recent reports the venue, now called The Roanoke Rapids Theatre, is profitable really isn't the whole story. “They aren't giving credit to us for the shows and tickets that were sold and sold for the holidays, motor coach bookings or the gospel extravaganza.”
The reason for the press conference, he said, “Is I truly want to see this theater succeed, whether my name is on it or not and I don't think it is now, and I feel like I had to clear my name and my family's name and I feel like we put so much of our heart and soul into this project. But I truly do wish them the best.”
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