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The Guardian
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
John Gale obituary
The elegantly rumbustious West End theatre producer John Gale, who has died aged 95, made his name and his fortune when, in 1971, he produced the longest-running comedy of all time, No Sex Please, We're British, by Alistair Foot and Anthony Marriott. The play ran for 17 years in all, first at the Strand (now the Novello) and then the Garrick, with Michael Crawford giving the stage performance of his life as the fraught and frazzled bank clerk overrun with unwanted parcels of pornography. He was succeeded in the role by the differently, equally inventive David Jason, then an unknown. This show was a kind of pivotal lode star in Gale's CV, which included a roster of star-laden sex comedies – led by the brilliant Boeing-Boeing (1962), adapted by Beverley Cross from a French farce about a lubricious bachelor entangled in timetables and a trio of airline hostesses – and classy old-fashioned entertainments by Somerset Maugham and William Douglas Home involving box-office names such as Ralph Richardson, Celia Johnson and Wendy Hiller. At the same time, Gale became a key administrative figure in the workings of the London theatre, serving as the president of the West End theatres' managerial society, Swet, later Solt, in the 1970s, before becoming executive producer and then artistic director of the Chichester Festival theatre in the 80s – a venue he rescued from near collapse with a rigorous policy of classic comedies and star-casting – while maintaining his West End connections. At Chichester, too, he strengthened the youth theatre, mounted immense community theatre projects and built the supplementary smaller Minerva theatre for new work, small-scale musicals and rare classics, appointing Sam Mendes – whom he had hired as an assistant – as the first artistic director of the Minerva in 1987. Most critics felt Gale's record of sex comedies diminished his credibility as a serious producer. His fellow producer Michael Codron took care of the best new commercial plays – Michael Frayn, Alan Ayckbourn, John Mortimer, and Simon Gray – but Gale also produced a huge amount of the sort of classical, canonical work the National Theatre today is abandoning: George Bernard Shaw (Candida, Caesar and Cleopatra); Henry James (The Wings of the Dove with Elspeth March and Alan Howard outstanding at the Haymarket in 1963); and Noël Coward, Maugham and Terence Rattigan – the latter's last play, Cause Célèbre (1977), starring Glynis Johns, was a revelation of misguided passion at the end of its tether. He was a great talent spotter. Not just of Mendes, but also of Nicholas Hytner, whose 1985 production of The Scarlet Pimpernel at the Royal Exchange, Manchester – starring an incandescently hilarious Donald Sinden – he presented at Chichester and then in the West End. His creative longevity and canny sense of 'the next thing' made him a great encourager, too, not least regarding the up-and-coming producer Cameron Mackintosh, with whom he co-produced several now forgotten shows in the early 70s. The most significant upshot of their professional relationship was that – as a governor and trustee of Christ's Hospital school in West Sussex, where he was educated – he helped facilitate Mackintosh's purchase of the Shaftesbury Avenue island site freehold, owned by Christ's Hospital, running from the Globe (now the Gielgud) to the Queen's (now the Sondheim), and everything in between, including what are now the offices of the Delfont Mackintosh technical operation, and the Sprague terrace linking the theatres in a delightful homage to the original architect. Born in Chigwell, Essex, John was the second son of Martha (nee Evans), a Welsh district nurse, and Frank Gale, a merchant seaman. After Christ's Hospital, he did his national service in the army and trained as an actor at the Webber Douglas academy. For 10 years he ploughed an anonymous furrow in regional rep and small parts on television, launching as a co-producer in 1960 on Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E Lee, a riveting courtroom drama of Darwinian/Christian intellectual argy-bargy in the St Martin's theatre. He followed in the same year with producing credits on Candida at Wyndham's, with Michael Denison and Dulcie Gray, and, in 1961, with an old-stye revue, On the Brighter Side, at the Phoenix, with material by Johnny Speight and Vivian Ellis, featuring Stanley Baxter, Betty Marsden and Una Stubbs. In that decade, there were classy revivals of Coward's Present Laughter (with Nigel Patrick), Maugham's The Sacred Flame (with Gladys Cooper and Hiller) and the first of several collaborations with Home, starting with The Secretary Bird, starring Kenneth More and Jane Downs, at the Savoy. It ran there for four years. The latter, like so many Gale 'new comedies', did not dig that deeply into the complexities of social and sexual relationships which, to be fair, is how their audiences liked it. This was apparent with a muted, but slightly more searing, 1977 revival of Rattigan's Separate Tables, starring John Mills, Jill Bennett and Margaret Courtenay. His last West End productions were a spiky transfer from Greenwich of Alan Strachan's 1980 production of Coward's Private Lives, with Maria Aitken and Michael Jayston, and a rather tame account of sexual scandal in high political places, A Personal Affair (1982), by Ian Curteis, with Gerald Harper and Virginia McKenna. Gale retired, effectively, as a producer three decades ago, but remained a constant member of the Chichester audience and enjoyed his continuing work with Christ's Hospital and as chairman of governors at the Guildford School of Acting. He married Lisel Wratten in 1950, and they settled in East Dean, West Sussex. His great passions were travel, membership of the Garrick club, underwater swimming and rugby football; he was chairman of London Welsh rugby football club from 1979 to 1981, and was made OBE in 1987. Lisel survives him, as do their two sons, Tim and Matthew, and four grandchildren, Joseph, Alexander, Eleanor and Siena. Thomas Henry John Gale, theatre producer, born 2 August 1929; died 10 May 2025
Telegraph
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
What I learnt by watching an evening of TV from 1975
In our multi-channel, multi-streaming world, we're overwhelmed when it comes to choosing what to watch. Not so, 50 years ago, when UK homes had only three TV channels. Because of that, programmes of the time commanded vast audiences, but how do they stack up when viewed today? I've committed to watching a line-up of television from 50 years ago because I'm participating in a Channel 5 production, 70s TV We Loved & Lost. The programme sets three modern families down in front of a selection of 1975 shows and asks them to offer instant reactions in the Gogglebox idiom. I will appear as a talking head, providing social and historical context. And so I settle in with an evening from 1975, fascinated to discover how many of the shows still entertain, how many feel relevant, and how many might horrify today's more 'socially-conscious' viewer. Having grown up in the 1970s, I anticipate being reasonably familiar with everything that follows. How wrong I was. Dicing with death on Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em BBC One Michael Crawford and Michele Dotrice starred in this hugely successful sitcom (viewing figures regularly topped 20 million) about accident-prone man-child Frank Spencer, whose efforts to find a job perpetually end in disaster. The episode begins with two men in silhouette, engaged in some kind of activity. 'Have you still got it in your hand? Now twist the top, pull it out and give it a shake.' The studio audience roars with laughter. It transpires Frank is working in a photo lab, and he's being taught how to develop film. His next move is to accidentally tip acid down his employer's leg. With its mix of crude innuendo and slapstick cruelty, it isn't quite the family-friendly comedy I remembered. Another scene follows Frank to a maternity class, where he ends up seated beside an expectant mother, who's black. The audience love it when a doctor assumes she and Frank are a couple, while he coos meekly. It's an uncomfortable moment. The final set piece, however, is one of the greatest in sitcom history, as a roller-skating Frank is catapulted out of a rink onto the streets of London. With Crawford himself careering through moving traffic, and speeding over groin-high bollards, it's a masterclass in invention and daring. Health and safety would prohibit any leading man attempting that feat today. Trying not to fall asleep to the Open University BBC Two The Open University launched in 1969, providing distance learning courses to thousands of Brits. As part of that initiative, BBC Two would broadcast classes during periods in the day when its normal service was off-air. This session – airing in black and white – features mathematics lecturer Michael Crampin bringing us unit 13 of the Complex Analysis course. It's an absolutely un-televisual production, rudimentary in its presentation with Crampin employing a pencil and pad to take us through his equations. But this wasn't TV for the masses, this was narrowcasting to a tiny audience who simply wanted the information. You'll find nothing like it today; even YouTube explainers employ more showbiz. Lion-taming on Seaside Special BBC One A teatime TV favourite, the series visited a different UK seaside resort each week to lay on a variety show, mixing pop acts, comics and end-of-the-pier entertainment. Tonight's edition is hosted by Tony Blackburn and comes from Torbay. Fittingly, it's the most vivid postcard yet from 1975, with a bill including singers Lulu, Mike Batt and Des Lane, whose act is simply to play the penny whistle. Folks dressed in gorilla suits gyrate to The Funky Gibbon, a strongman leg-presses a bench adorned with Roy Hudd plus 10 leotard-clad women (producers of the time always had an eye on including such an element for 'the dads'), and Abba give us Waterloo. At one point, Blackburn serenades four (real) lions with Tie A Yellow Ribbon while a whip-wielding tamer discourages them from taking vengeance. It wouldn't pass animal welfare laws today. Elsewhere, Hudd casually drops an anti-Semitic gag, but things just roll along happily. It takes a moment to process that you really did hear what you think you just heard. The unbeatable Bruce Forsyth and the Generation Game BBC One On a good night, this game show could top 25 million viewers and was the cornerstone to an unbeatable Saturday night line-up on BBC One. It pitted four couples, each a generation apart (usually parent/child) into a series of diverse challenges. Tonight's episode includes flamenco dancing, trivia and dress-making for dolls. Bruce Forsyth is at the helm with a confidence that still impresses, commanding the studio audience like a drill sergeant. When he's not deploying a catchphrase, he's demanding applause with an arm swing. As the contestants are trooped in, I'm struck that he's inventing modern-day Saturday night TV in front of my eyes with his easy repartee. He's told Barbara Davis from Northenden, Manchester was the first-ever Festival Queen of the Isle of Man. He gives her the side-eye and quips: 'Were you the only woman there?' The more he insults her, the more she glows. Fast-paced, varied, it's a show that still works, and I think about how often the BBC have tried to bring it back. The only note of antiquity is Anthea Redfern's hostess role. In the year Parliament passed the Sex Discrimination Act, she's not making strides for feminism, but instead is being told by Forsyth to 'give us a twirl' and show off this week's new frock. Yet television remains poorer for its absence. Michael McIntyre's Big Show just doesn't quite do. Pioneering TV with That's Life! BBC One Contrary to the orthodoxy of 1975, here's a series marshalled by… a woman. The crusading magazine show, which covered everything from viewers' photos of rude-shaped veg to serious investigations into child abuse, was an absolute BBC staple, running for 21 years. And contrary to the orthodoxy of 1975, it was marshalled by a woman. The show begins with Esther Rantzen taking her chair. To her right are Kieran Prendiville and Glyn Worsnip. They're from an ever-changing line-up of men who, during the series' lifetime, were unkindly dubbed 'Esther's Nancies' within the BBC. They read out viewers' letters, in this case, voicing correspondence from a finance company in a commendably thorny segment where Rantzen goes into bat for a viewer who took out a loan to pay for central heating from a firm that went bust. From here to a rakish Cyril Fletcher with funny snippets found in local papers, and a vox pop where members of the public are challenged to open recalcitrant snap-shut plastic bags. That's Life! really impresses, pulling off these canyon-wide segues with a confidence that should intimidate The One Show. The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club is... incredibly dated ITV Running for six series, this was set in a fictional working man's club, featuring an array of novelty acts performing in front of a live audience. Tonight's begins with host Bernard Manning crooning a Patsy Cline song. The members – men drinking pints, women halves – sing along dreamily until Colin Crompton, in the guise of chairman, clangs his bell and hectors everyone with faux club business. Manning acerbically cues up an array of novelty acts, from a man balancing swords on his chin to music by the Settlers. Cigarette smoke wafts by, as do people heading to the bar or the loo. Visually, it's all very brown, except in skin colour. Apropos of nothing, Manning makes a racist gag, and everyone hoots. The whole thing feels incredibly low-rent and oddly aggressive. Parkinson vs Helen Mirren BBC One The king of the talk show, who reigned on and off between 1917 and 2007, sat down with huge stars, including Bing Crosby, Muhammad Ali and James Cagney. Tonight's instalment, alas, doesn't show Michael Parkinson in his best light. His first guest is the Royal Shakespeare Company's 'rising star' Helen Mirren, whom, he advises us, has been commended for 'projecting a sluttish eroticism'. Mirren flounces onto stage and takes her seat, saying: 'That was 'sluttishly erotic' for you'. Parkinson goes on to say, 'You are, in quotes, 'a serious actress'...' And of her craft, he wonders, 'Do you find, in fact, that what could be best described as your 'equipment' hinders you in that pursuit?' It's gob-smacking and uncomfortable, but asked about this encounter in 2016, Parkinson said: 'I don't regard what happened there as being anything other than good television.' A gay love affair on Within These Walls ITV Our final offering is a drama set in a women's prison, which ran for four years. It's a low-budget affair, akin to something like Doctors, albeit airing around 9pm. Although my expectations are lower, it surprises with a thoughtfully-written episode exploring a growing romantic relationship between two inmates. The institute's welfare officer gets wind of it and takes her concerns to the prison doctor. Where I expected the show to ignite in its depiction of something considered transgressive at the time, the conversation is commendably measured. 'Any affection is better than none,' counsels the doctor, before delivering a line that has more even resonance today: 'What the hell does gender have to do with it?' And so to bed, with Closedown BBC The BBC globe is ushering me to bed. As the National Anthem bleeds in, I'm thinking about what I've learnt from this evening of 1975. Foremost is there was a sense of commonality hanging over television, as if we were all engaged in the same conversation. We holiday at the seaside, we covet an infra-red grill and we write letters to the utility companies. A lot of that was rooted in the certainty that, in a three-channel world, everyone was watching. Even now, with the anthem playing, there's an assumption of a nation on its feet – although that might be just to switch off the set. Because of this, programme makers pitched for the widest possible audience. It was a time when a host would still say, 'Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls'. Does that mean 1975 TV was better? Not quite. I've witnessed insensitivities, passing cruelties and real oddities. But it is also clear that much of what we enjoy now was engendered in this decade. TV really came alive in the 1970s; in colour, in confidence and often with a winning kind of crudity. One way or another, all these shows held my attention tonight. As my screen blanks out, I conclude that it was nice to see them, to see them nice.
Business Journals
08-05-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Hall of Fame Resort to go private with acquisition by IRG affiliate
Story Highlights Hall of Fame Resort agrees to be acquired by Stuart Lichter's affiliate. Acquisition would make Hall of Fame Resort a private company. Deal includes restructuring leases and restarting waterpark and hotel construction. Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Co. in Canton, Ohio, has agreed to be acquired by an affiliate of the company's largest shareholder and director — Stuart Lichter, founder and president of Industrial Realty Group LLC in Los Angeles. Upon completion of the acquisition, which has several conditions, Hall of Fame Resort would become a privately held company. GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY Find Local Events Near You Connect with a community of local professionals. Explore All Events Under the acquisition agreement, a new Lichter-affiliated investment vehicle — HOFV Holdings LLC — would acquire the outstanding shares of Hall of Fame Resort that IRG and its affiliates don't already own for 90 cents per share, according to a Hall of Fame Resort statement. Based on recent regulatory filings, the cost of buying the outstanding shares would be about $4 million. The resort company also said it has signed a letter of intent for a new lease on the indoor waterpark on its 100-acre campus and to restructure the leases for its future on-site hotel and Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium properties there. The resort company defaulted on the ground lease for its Gameday Bay waterpark in October and has yet to build an expected Hilton Tapestry hotel adjacent to it. Hall of Fame Village, the name of the resort property, includes a Center for Performance and Constellation Center for Excellence, as well as a retail strip and play-action plaza. The parties involved are finalizing the terms for the lease restructuring, which Hall of Fame Resort calls "a big step toward restarting construction of the waterpark and the on-site hotel." The vision for Hall of Fame Resort "Our vision has always been to build a world-class sports and entertainment company, which includes our destination in the Hall of Fame Village, Hall of Fame Village Media and Gold Summit Gaming," Michael Crawford, Hall of Fame Resort's outgoing president and CEO, said in his company's statement. "This is an ambitious goal. It entails a continued focus on our strategic plan, and it requires investing in the critical areas that will help ensure long-term growth." Crawford, whose resignation from the company takes effect May 18, continued, "We operate in a dynamic and sometimes challenging environment, and as a private company upon completion of the transaction, we believe that we will have strategic flexibility and additional working capital to invest in each of our business verticals and to continue to build the company as we have planned." Acquisition subject to several IRG conditions The acquisition is subject to approval by holders of a majority of the company's common stock and is conditioned on: HOFV Holdings, the new Lichter-affiliated investor, obtaining $20 million in financing. Consummation of the proposed lease restructuring. Consummation of additional project-level financing of at least $125 million (likely to complete the waterpark and build the on-site hotel). Obtaining third-party consents. The acquisition also contemplates Hall of Fame Resort selling to and leasing back properties from IRG that are not included in the lease restructuring, the resort company said. Lichter and IRG are longterm investors in the resort Lichter and IRG, which operates one of the largest commercial real estate portfolios in the United States including several Northeast Ohio properties, began investing in Hall of Fame Resort before the company's going-public transaction in 2020. IRG also is the resort's master developer. Since then, Lichter and his affiliated companies have invested tens of millions of dollars in the resort property through loans and purchases of securities. More recently, Lichter and his companies also have refinanced the resort's debt. As of Jan. 15, Lichter and his affiliates owned 72.5% of the resort company's shares, including shares underlying convertible debt and warrants, according to a regulatory filing. That percentage likely is higher now because of recent amendments to a convertible debt agreement aimed at freeing up cash for the struggling resort company. In June 2024, Lichter revealed in a regulatory filing that he was talking with financial advisors and stakeholders about taking the debt-heavy resort company private to help solve its "significant liquidity challenges," Lichter said in a preliminary nonbinding proposal to Hall of Fame Resort's board in October. Shares of Hall of Fame Resort (Nasdaq: HOFV) were up more than 20% to 86 cents a share in noontime trading on Thursday as investors bought into the 90-cent-a-share acquisition price. Sign up for the Business Journal's free daily newsletter to receive the latest business news impacting Cleveland.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company Enters into Definitive Agreement for Going Private Transaction
CANTON, Ohio, May 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: HOFV, HOFVW) (the "Company"), the only resort, entertainment, and media company centered around the power of professional football, today announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by HOFV Holdings, LLC (the "Investor"), an investment vehicle affiliated with Industrial Realty Group, LLC ("IRG"). Stuart Lichter, a director of the Company, is the Founder and President of IRG. Upon completion of the transaction, the Company will become a privately held company. Under the terms of the agreement, the Investor will acquire all outstanding shares of the Company's common stock not currently owned by IRG and its affiliates for $0.90 per share in cash. The agreement was unanimously approved and recommended to the Company's Board of Directors by a Special Committee consisting of independent and disinterested directors of the Board. Following the Special Committee's recommendation, the agreement has been approved by the Company's Board and recommended for approval by stockholders. The Company also announced it has entered into a letter of intent with the investor that owns the waterpark property to enter into a new lease for the waterpark property and, following certain real estate transfers, the on-site hotel property and the stadium property (the "Lease Restructuring"). The parties are finalizing definitive terms for this Lease Restructuring, which is a big step toward restarting construction of the waterpark and the on-site hotel. "Our vision has always been to build a world-class sports and entertainment company, which includes our destination in the Hall of Fame Village, Hall of Fame Village Media, and Gold Summit Gaming," said Michael Crawford, President and Chief Executive Officer. "This is an ambitious goal. It entails a continued focus on our strategic plan, and it requires investing in the critical areas that will help ensure long-term growth. We operate in a dynamic and sometimes challenging environment, and as a private company upon completion of the transaction we believe that we will have strategic flexibility and additional working capital to invest in each of our business verticals and to continue to build the Company as we have planned. I want to thank our partners, our team and the Canton community for a continued commitment to our mission and our vision." Transaction Details The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals, including approval of holders of a majority of the Company's common stock. In addition, the transaction is also conditioned on (i) the Investor's receipt of $20 million in financing, (ii) prior or concurrent consummation of the Lease Restructuring, (iii) prior or concurrent consummation of additional project level financing in an aggregate amount not less than $125 million, and (iv) obtaining certain third-party consents, including certain consents on terms at the discretion of Investor. The transaction contemplates the Company engaging in a sale and leaseback transaction with IRG relating to certain properties that are not included in the Lease Restructuring. Upon completion of the transaction, the Company's common stock and warrants will no longer be listed on any public stock exchange. Further information regarding terms and conditions contained in the definitive transaction agreements will be made available in the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, which the Company expects to file on or before May 11, 2025. Advisors Wedbush Securities Inc. is serving as exclusive financial advisor to the Special Committee and provided a fairness opinion. Brown Gibbons Lang is serving as exclusive financial advisor to IRG and its affiliates in this transaction. Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP is serving as legal counsel to the Special Committee. Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP is serving as legal counsel to IRG. About Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: HOFV, HOFVW) is a resort and entertainment company leveraging the power and popularity of professional football and its legendary players in partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Headquartered in Canton, Ohio, Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company is the owner of the Hall of Fame Village a multi-use sports, entertainment and media destination centered around the Pro Football Hall of Fame's campus. Additional information on the Company can be found at About Industrial Realty Group, LLC IRG is a nationwide real estate development and investment firm specializing in the acquisition, development and management of commercial and industrial real estate throughout the United States. IRG, through its affiliated partnerships and limited liability companies, operates a portfolio containing over 150 properties in 31 states with over 100 million square feet of rentable space. IRG is nationally recognized as a leading force behind the adaptive reuse of commercial and industrial real estate, solving some of America's most difficult real estate challenges. Learn more at Additional Information about the Transaction and Where to Find It This communication relates to the proposed transaction involving Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company (the "Company"). In connection with the proposed transaction, the Company will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") a proxy statement, a definitive version of which will be mailed or otherwise provided to its stockholders entitled to vote at the special meeting relating to the proposed transaction. The Company and affiliates of the Company intend to jointly file a transaction statement on Schedule 13E-3 (the "Schedule 13E-3"). The Company may also file other documents with the SEC regarding the potential transaction. This communication is not a substitute for the proxy statement or any other document that the Company may file with the SEC or send to its stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, THE COMPANY'S STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO CAREFULLY READ THE PROXY STATEMENT AND THE SCHEDULE 13E-3 IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE AND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE THEREIN BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND THE PARTIES TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the proxy statement, the Schedule 13E-3 and other documents that the Company files with the SEC (when available) from the SEC's website at and the Company's website at In addition, the proxy statement, the Schedule 13E-3 and other documents filed by the Company with the SEC (when available) may be obtained from the Company free of charge by directing a request to the Company's Investor Relations at Participants in the Solicitation The Company and certain of its directors, executive officers and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Company's stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of the stockholders of the Company in connection with the proposed transaction, including a description of their respective direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise will be set forth in the proxy statement and Schedule 13E-3 and other materials to be filed with the SEC. You may also find additional information about the Company's directors and executive officers in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, which was filed with the SEC on March 26, 2025 (the "Annual Report") and in other documents filed by the Company with the SEC. To the extent holdings of securities by potential participants (or the identity of such participants) have changed since the information printed in the Annual Report, such information has been or will be reflected in the Company's Statements of Change in Ownership on Forms 3 and 4 filed with the SEC. You can obtain free copies of these documents from the Company using the contact information above. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This communication contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or the Company's future financial or operating performance. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this communication, including statements regarding the proposed transaction and its expected timing, completion and effects, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "plans," "potential," "will," or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern the Company's expectations, strategy, plans or intentions. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future events or results due to a variety of factors. Important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, (a) the ability of the parties to consummate the proposed transaction in a timely manner or at all; (b) the satisfaction (or waiver) of closing conditions to the consummation of the proposed transaction; (c) potential delays in consummating the proposed transaction; (d) the timing, receipt and terms and conditions of any required governmental and regulatory approvals of the proposed transaction that could delay the consummation of the proposed transaction or cause the parties to abandon the proposed transaction; (e) the possibility that the Company's stockholders may not approve the proposed transaction; (f) the ability of the Company to timely and successfully achieve the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction; (g) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance or condition that could give rise to the termination of the Merger Agreement; (h) the Company's ability to implement its business strategy; (i) significant transaction costs associated with the proposed transaction; (j) the possibility that the proposed transaction may be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events; (k) potential litigation relating to the proposed transaction; (l) the risk that disruptions from the proposed transaction will harm the Company's business, including current plans and operations; (m) the ability of the Company to retain and hire key personnel; (n) the ability of the Company to continue to borrow funds from an affiliate of IRG to finance the Company's operations prior to closing; (o) the ability of the Investor to obtain financing specified in the Merger Agreement; (p) the Company's satisfactory negotiation and entry into a definitive agreement for the Lease Restructuring; (q) potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships of the Company with its customers, suppliers and others with whom it does business, or on its operating results and business generally resulting from the announcement or completion of the proposed transaction; (r) legislative, regulatory and economic developments affecting the Company's business; (s) general economic and market developments and conditions; (t) the legal, regulatory and tax regimes under which the Company operates; (u) potential business uncertainty, including changes to existing business relationships, during the pendency of the proposed transaction that could affect the Company's financial performance; (v) the risk that any announcements relating to the proposed transaction could have adverse effects on the market price of the Company's Common Stock; (w) restrictions during the pendency of the proposed transaction that may impact the Company's ability to pursue certain business opportunities or strategic transactions; and (x) unpredictability and severity of catastrophic events, including, but not limited to, acts of terrorism or outbreak of war or hostilities, as well as the Company's response to any of the aforementioned factors. For information regarding other factors that could cause the Company's results to vary from expectations, please see the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's periodic report filings with the SEC, including but not limited to our Form 1 Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 26, 2025 as well as other documents that may be filed by us from time to time with the SEC. These filings, as well as subsequent findings, are available on the investor relations section of the Company's website at or on the SEC's website at The statements in this communication represent our current beliefs, estimates and assumptions as of the date of this communication. Subsequent events and developments may cause our views to change. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this communication. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Globe and Mail
10-04-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Hospitality Industry Veteran Michael Crawford Joins Baillie Lodges as Chief Executive Officer
SYDNEY, April 10, 2025 /CNW/ -- Baillie Lodges, the Australia-based boutique ultra-luxury hotel platform, today announced Michael Crawford, a seasoned hospitality industry executive, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, effective May 19, 2025. Michael Moret-Lalli, who previously led Baillie Lodges as Executive Chairman, is stepping down from his current role to focus on the company's business development and growth efforts as Head of Global M&A and Development.
