Yahoo Finance Female tech billionaire is the new villain at Radio City Music Hall
Most people who care about the issue of women in tech are focusing on the Ellen Pao/Kleiner Perkins trial in San Francisco. But there is another drama that touches on this issue—sort of—across the country in New York City. The Radio City Spring Spectacular show may seem like a strange place to look for social issues, but after going to recent performance I have to tell you there it is, smack in your face.
As you might expect, the show, which is in previews now and opens March 26, is predictably saccharin tourist fare (“Welcome to New York” is the opening number). It’s also a vehicle for Rockettes’ leg kicks and Dolan property self-promotion (the Dolans own Radio City, Madison Square Garden, the Knicks and Rangers—and all figure prominently). But what raised my eyebrow was actually one of the show’s characters.
The story is about a lovable, spry old New York tour guide named Bernie, who’s been on the job for decades. Ah, but check out Bernie’s antagonist. That’s where things get interesting. Bernie’s nemesis, you see, is a tech mogul, a woman in fact, named Jenna, played to the hilt by Tony winner Laura Benanti. Jenna is all of the moment. She belts out a bio number where she lays out why she’s so loathsome. She’s a money-grubbing billionaire who went to Harvard. “Google and Zuck” have nothing on her. Strutting around in a red dress, cold and out of touch, she’s all about creating apps, taking selfies and replacing working people like Bernie with virtual tour guides and algorithms. Indeed, her latest acquisition is the tour company for which Bernie works and, which she wants to transform into a virtual-tour business.
Jenna is a pure product of Silicon Valley, which is a bit odd since the big story in the tech world right now is the paucity of powerful women, and how discrimination is still a big problem. (By the way, Jenna’s business sidekick is a tap-dancing African-American actor named Marshall, played by Jared Grimes, whom another character makes sure to point out, is “a numbers whiz.”) Breaking stereotypes—sort of—seems to be important here.
Of course, in the end Jenna relents and sees the value of Bernie and the real world, and even love in the form of Bernie’s muse, a rakish good guy named Jack, played by five-time “Dancing With the Stars” winner Derek Hough. And what brings on Jenna’s miraculous epiphany? What can turn a hardened, uncompassionate female uber-techie into a normal human being with feelings? Why, it’s taking a turn dancing with the Rockettes, naturally! My head was spinning so much I forgot to buy the $200 souvenirs on the way out.
Show biz villains have always been a reflection of our society’s fears. Often they are foreigners or perceived national enemies: Germans, Japanese, Russians, Chinese, South Africans, Arabs and on and on. (Pick a James Bond movie, any James Bond movie.) Now at Radio City we have a new villain. And she is us. Sort of.
