A dispute between a silent partner who underwrote much of the restoration and the three-man management team that operated the Morse is headed for litigation.
“If there's any hope I can bring this back to life, it's going to have to be through the court," Morse manager Andy McGhee said Thursday. “We have agreements in place, and this will have to be determined in court. ..."As of right now, I hope to keep it open as long as I can."
McGhee is booking no new dates for the theater and is informing several artists that their planned events will not be taking place.
It's unclear precisely what effect the current economic downturn has had on the Morse, though January was a tough month for the theater in terms of box office, its managers said last month.
Morse operators William Kerpan, Andy McGhee and his son Devin McGhee envisioned the place as an engine for revitalizing East Rogers Park. Located within walking distance of the Morse Avenue “el" stop, the theater was conceived as Rogers Park's answer to the Old Town School of Folk Music. Like that popular spot, the Morse--at 1328 W. Morse Ave.-- has presented an eclectic lineup of non-mainstream fare, including jazz, classical and world music.
The Morse also was modeled on the long-gone Amazingrace coffeehouse in Evanston, which flourished in various locations in the 1970s.
But the Morse faced a significant blow even before it opened, when a suspected arson fire scorched the nearly century-old edifice, in the early morning of Aug. 10. Community activists speculated that forces opposed to the perceived gentrification of East Rogers Park were behind the attack. Damage amounted to about $500,000 and delayed the opening until October.
Nevertheless, audiences poured into the place on opening night to hear jazz drummer Winard Harper lead a sextet. Since then, crowds have varied, from small audiences for the Wednesday-night jam sessions to a standing-room-only turnout for a concert celebrating the Inauguration of Pres. Barack Obama. But admission to that event was free.
Opened in 1912 as a silent-movie nickelodeon and vaudeville house, the Morse over the decades reinvented itself as a legitimate theater and a synagogue, among other incarnations.
The latest one refashioned the space into an uncommonly intimate house accommodating 299 listeners at cabaret-style tables and booths. Its amenities include a 9-foot Steinway grand, 20-foot projection screen and 21st Century technology, with live classical concerts broadcast Sunday mornings over WFMT 98.7-FM.
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