Thursday’s show by Garrison Keillor at the Warner Theatre in Torrington was canceled, just hours before it was due to go ahead.
Lynn Gelormino, the theatre’s executive director, told WNPR that the show’s promoter, Premier Events, had informed her of the cancellation.
Keillor’s contract with Minnesota Public Radio was terminated Wednesday amid allegations of inappropriate conduct. Later that night, Keillor’s show in Pittsfield, Massachusetts was cancelled.
Two doors down from the theatre on Torrington’s Main Street is Sasso’s—a “coal-fired” pizza restaurant.
“We are usually busy when there’s a show next door so the show being cancelled definitely messes up business a little bit for us,” said Jeff St. Jean, the manager of the restaurant.
Gelormino says about 1,200 tickets were purchased for the Warner performance. And now, the theatre is scrambling to reach out to ticketholders regarding the cancellation.
Keillor was a fixture for decades on public radio before retiring in 2016.
Minnesota Public Radio has severed ties with his production company and will rename the program he founded, A Prairie Home Companion.
