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New York ticket agents come to rescue of Bethlehem band

01/24/2005

Thanks to the kindness of some New Yorkers, Bethlehem's Northeast Middle School band will see a Broadway musical and get back the nearly $5,000 it lost when a ticket agent went bust.

After months of fund-raisers, the band sent nearly $5,000 on Sept. 14 to Broadway Ticket Connection for 55 seats for a spring show of the musical ''Wicked,'' based on the Wicked Witch of the West in ''The Wizard of Oz.''

The band had used the ticket agent numerous times without a problem, band director Brian Rupnik said.

But on Oct. 1, he received a letter from ticket company owner James Cirminello saying financial problems forced him to close on Sept. 24 and that checks sent after that had not been processed.

Rupnik called the bank and found out the band's check had been cashed days before the company shut down.

His next call, to the Gershwin Theater, found that the tickets were reserved, but not paid for.

''There was the name of a New Jersey law firm to contact about a refund, which I did right away,'' he said. ''But after not hearing anything from them, I called in December and was told they were not handling it anymore and was given another number.''

Rupnik said he was told by the other law firm that there was not much they could do unless they took Cirminello to court.

Rupnik also lodged a complaint with the New York attorney general's office.

''We are nonprofit and do not have money to pay a lawyer,'' Rupnik said. ''But I did call a meeting of the parents, and they decided to all chip in and pay for us to get new tickets.''

The band could not get tickets to ''Wicked,'' he said, but was able to get them for ''Beauty and the Beast.''

But thanks to a story that ran in the New York Post last week, the band has been offered tickets to ''Wicked'' or its money back, courtesy of the New York Ticket Brokers Association.

''We read about what happened to this band, and we do not want anyone to think all ticket brokers are like this,'' association President Jim Berger said.

The association knows the band members have the other tickets and told Rupnik that if they want to keep those, it will refund the $4,958 the band members lost.

''The phone has been ringing off the hook since that story ran,'' Rupnik said. ''Kathie Lee Gifford offered us tickets to her off-Broadway show, 'Under The Bridge,' and a backstage tour.''

As for Broadway Ticket Connection and Cirminello, the matter is being investigated by the New York attorney general's office.

''We will pursue the matter with the attorney general,'' Berger said. ''That company was not a member of our association, and we do not want anyone thinking reputable brokers act like this.''

Berger said his association encourages anyone buying tickets through brokers to check if they are registered members on its Web site, http://www.natb.org .

Rupnik said Berger was not sure he could get the band 55 ''Wicked'' tickets on the same day, so since the band members have ''Beauty and the Beast'' tickets, they will see that.

''And if we get our money back, we will be happy,'' Rupnik said.