Last 3 El Portal Subscription Shows Canceled

The final three shows in the main-stage subscription series at El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood have been canceled by producer Stan Haberman, leaving 2,030 subscribers in the lurch.

Haberman said he doesn’t have the funds to continue the series and does not plan to offer refunds, which would amount to about $80 to $90 per subscriber, because the tickets originally were purchased for a series that would have been produced by the defunct El Portal Center for the Arts.

Haberman, who was on the board of the nonprofit El Portal Center, offered to produce the shows with his own Shadow Box Productions when the El Portal organization became insolvent earlier this year. He produced the first announced show, “70, Girls, 70,” in May but lost more than $100,000 on it, he said. The next scheduled show was “Vamps” in September, with “Nunsense” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’” also slated.

El Portal Theatre officials are beginning efforts to arrange for subscribers to receive credit for the canceled shows at other area theaters with subscription seasons, but no agreements are set.

The cancellation does not affect other shows scheduled for the El Portal complex.