Steve Martin Too Artsy for This Venue

Apparently New Yorkers just don’t want to hear a banjo-playing comedian talk art. After an hour-long Q-and-A with brainy comedian Steve Martin, who was reportedly too high brow, the 92nd St. YMCA Y in New York felt compelled to offer its audience a refund. (Correction: Earlier, this item, in its headline and text, referred to the YMCA; actually, Martin appeared at a facility of the 92nd Street Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association.)

New York Times:

But Sol Adler, the Y’s executive director, saw it differently. “We acknowledge that last night’s event with Steve Martin did not meet the standard of excellence that you have come to expect from 92nd St. Y,” he wrote in an e-mail to ticket holders. “We planned for a more comprehensive discussion and we, too, were disappointed with the evening. We will be mailing you a $50 certificate for each ticket you purchased to last night’s event. The gift certificate can be used toward future 92Y events, pending availability.”

About 900 tickets to the event, which cost $50 each, had been sold; all ticket buyers received the offer.

Perhaps the audience saw that message coming. Midway through the conversation, a Y representative handed Ms. Solomon a note asking her to talk more about Mr. Martin’s career and, implicitly, less about the art world, the subject of his latest novel, “An Object of Beauty.”

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