After 19 days of darkness Broadway is reopening for business. According to news reports, late last night, during the third day of marathon negotiations between the stagehands union and producers, a compromise was reached. Now, shows are scrambling to get their acts together so the curtain can go up later today.
You’ll recall the work stoppage began November 10th after the issue of wages and how many stagehands were required to open a Broadway show and keep it running couldn’t be hammered out between the two parties. Producers were concerned about having to pay stagehands more in return for a reduction workload.
The strike cancelled two-dozen shows, including smash hits such as “Wicked,””Jersey Boys,””Mamma Mia!” and “The Lion King.” What’s more, the blockbusters were shut during the busy Thanksgiving holiday week, which is typically one of the most lucrative times of the year for Broadway when the city is filled with holiday visitors.
For nearly 20 days ticketholders from around the world were forced to either settle for refunds or scramble to get seats to other shows that weren’t affected by the strike. Eight shows remained open during the work stoppage (their theaters had separate stagehand contracts), and a ninth reopened its doors when a judge ordered “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” to raise its curtain the day after Thanksgiving. As for how much the strike cost the city of New York, analysts say it could surpass the $40 million mark.
So what does the end of the walkout mean for people who are in the Big Apple right now and want to take in a Broadway show?
First of all, if you want to see a show tonight you will likely get a great deal. The executive producer of “Chicago,” said tickets to the musical’s Thursday reopening would be sold at the box office at a discounted $26.50 to encourage people to come back to Broadway.
Also, the producers of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” announced they would be pushing back its scheduled December 6th opening with a new date yet to be determined. Ditto for several shows that were in previews when the strike hit, including Aaron Sorkin’s “The Farnsworth Invention,””August: Osage County” from Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company and an adaptation of a long-lost Mark Twain comedy, “Is He Dead?”
The latest Broadway strike far exceeded the work stoppage in 2003 when musicians staged a four-day walkout. The musicians also struck in 1975, shutting musicals but not plays for 25 days.
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