DATE: Wednesday, June 18, 1997              TAG: 9706180060

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E5   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Opinion
SOURCE: Mal Vincent

                                            LENGTH:   55 lines

N.Y.'S SUCCESS REINFORCES VIRGINIA'S DISNEY FAILURE

FOR A Virginian watching the spectacle of the ``Hercules'' parade in New York, there must be a feeling of ``this could have been ours.''

There must still be some nagging feelings that Virginia perhaps lost the economic plum of the century in 1994 when it lost Disney's proposed Northern Virginia theme park.

New York, has, in many ways, proved us wrong.

Just as Virginians voiced concerns that a Disney theme park focused on history would degrade our heritage, New Yorkers worried that the company might lessen the theater. Now, however, there are fewer complaints about that. And there is every suggestion that Disney's 42nd Street development is going to revitalize the city well beyond just the block that was once a porn center.

Susan Egan, who is the voice of Meg, Herc's feisty girlfriend in ``Hercules,'' took time out from the premiere festivities to observe, with more than a hint of bitterness, that she felt the backlash when she starred as Belle in Disney's Broadway debut, ``Beauty and the Beast,'' which is continuing its long run.

``They said we were going to turn Broadway into Six Flags,'' she said. ``They were so worried that Broadway was going to become a Disney park. That hasn't happened, and it never will happen, but what we have done is attract a new theater audience who never would have gone to Broadway in the first place.''

The comparison between what happened in New York and what happened in Virginia is most appropriate while memories of the ``Hercules'' celebration linger. The proposed theme park received a state incentive package and the endorsement of Gov. George Allen, and it seemed to be a done deal.

Opposition came from history buffs who claimed the nearness to authentic historical battlefields would desecrate the original. Others worried that the park would contribute to traffic and other suburban-sprawl problems.

The Disney empire, not accustomed to such reluctance to its investments, pulled out of Virginia in September 1994.

A Disney company worker, insisting upon anonymity, observed during Saturday's parade: ``I think we're through with that part of the country as an investment. We failed. And we aren't really accustomed to failing.''

Disney looked toward New York and an expensive investment in Broadway as well as purchase of the ABC broadcast network.

In 1995, almost one year to the date after the Virginia pullout, the Walt Disney Co. signed a lease with the 42nd Street Development Project to restore and operate the New Amsterdam Theater. New York City and state governments put $14 million into financing for the renovation.

The theater reopened on May 18 with Alan Menken and Tim Rice's concert version of their new ``King David'' for a brief run. The first permanent attraction will be ``The Lion King'' on stage.

Virginians can only look enviously at a partnership that is obviously working. A parade is not just a parade. Obviously, it has not yet rained on this partnership between public and private sectors.

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