“Monty Python” star John Cleese is on a short tour to eclectic cities, from the West Coast to Medford, Massachusetts.
The tour began just six days ago, in Portland, Oregon, but already there’s trouble.
On April 7th Cleese wrote on Twitter: “I am having a disagreement with Howard Szegeti, the promoter of my present tour He is refusing to reveal the figures for the box office receipts Why would he need to keep them secret ? I was hoping to discuss this with him, but he ran away and now won’t communicate Odd.”
Szigeti (proper spelling) has an agency in Canada called Unique Lives. I’ve left messages for him. If he answers, I’ll add whatever he has to say.
Cleese is notoriously prickly, but still, he’s a Python. He wrote again today: “Still no news from Howard Szegeti, the promoter who chose to run away rather than to discuss our contractual situation Anyone thinking of working with him should contact me via my Website to discuss precautions”
So things haven’t improved. In between there have been volleys with his readers, who’ve asked about the wording of his contract. His response to one reader was: “Thank you for this My agent should have pointed this out to me He hasn’t been very on the ball recently If you’re with an agency a long time, and they realise you’re not a squeaky wheel, they tend not to try so hard”
Can this marriage be saved? I’ve invited both Cleese and Szigeti to email me at showbiz411@gmail.com. Meantime, Cleese– who is ardently conservative — performs tonight in San Diego, and then in Anaheim. In June he comes to Massachusetts.
