A playwright has threatened to sue management at a legendary theatre over claims he wasn’t paid for a show.
Charlie Marx, 46, has written a string of plays and musicals in his 20-plus year career.
His work includes three hit pantos and two shows for Glasgow’s Pavilion Theatre.
His legal claim centres on allegations the venue’s bosses put on repeat performances of his musical Summer of ’69 without crediting or paying him.
Charlie says he’s due thousands of pounds from the theatre for a copyright breach and repeat fee.
He said: “It was a major hit for the Pavilion back in 2008 but since then, I’ve largely forgotten about it.
“I’ve written a lot since and don’t regard it as one of my finest works.
“It was only when I was in my kitchen a couple of years ago I heard an advert for a rerun.
“It was an advertisement for the Summer of ’69 and it was due to go back on in the Pavilion. I was gobsmacked as I hadn’t been told.
“I was happy as it meant an extra payment for me. In these sorts of situations, I’d expect another few thousand pounds.
“But I started to get worried when I heard nothing. Whenever I tried to get in touch with Pavilion management, including Iain Gordon, who runs it, I was completely stonewalled.”
Charlie says he grew so frustrated he wrote to the owners of the theatre – the Pavilion Theatre (Glasgow) Limited – at its registered headquarters in London in 2017.
In a strongly worded response, Iain, who has run the independent theatre since 1978, wrote in an email: “You have certainly crossed the mark with your accusations and threats, and I will deal with you accordingly.”
Charlie, who is also an author and lives in Newton Mearns, near Glasgow, says he has still not been paid and has instructed solicitors. He added: “My letter was not threatening in the least.”
The Writer’s Guild of Great Britain said writers should get a minimum of eight per cent of total box office takings on re-runs.
But Iain denied Charlie was owed a penny. He said: “We agreed a one-off payment in 2008 and he was more than happy.
“We provided the original idea, the title, the full storyline, the number of characters and names. The storyline and characters were all part of my days at school in the 60s.”
