| Famed local author Hollis Alpert dies
Author and Naples resident Hollis Alpert died Sunday. He was 91. In the 12 years he lived in Naples he became known to many, especially writing class students and attendees of his film lectures at the Philharmonic Center for the Arts. While fiction editor for The New Yorker from 1950-1956, Alpert continued as film critic for Saturday Review and Woman's Day, a book reviewer for The New York Times and contributor of short stories and essays of famous film personalities to Playboy, Esquire and Cosmopolitan, according to a news release. He was editor in chief of American Film Magazine. In 1966 he founded the National Society of Film Critics with Pauline Kael. He wrote nine novels including The Life and Times of Porgy and Bess and Broadway! 125 Years of Musical Theatre in collaboration with the Museum of the City of New York.
Broadway producers sue strikers, "Grinch" goes on
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Several Broadway producers sued striking stagehands for $35 million and a New York judge on Wednesday separately ordered a theater to allow "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical" to reopen. Producers of nine shows sued members of Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and its president James Claffey Jr. in Manhattan federal court seeking to recover damages for lost revenues. The League of American Theaters and Producers has said the strike that has darkened some 25 productions since November 10 is costing a total of about $17 million for every day it lasts. .
Broadway producers sue strikers
SEVERAL Broadway producers sued striking stagehands for $US35 million ($39.2 million) and a New York judge today separately ordered a theatre to allow Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical to reopen. Producers of nine shows sued members of Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and its president James Claffey Jr in Manhattan federal court seeking to recover damages for lost revenues. The League of American Theatres and Producers has said the strike that has darkened some 25 productions since November 10 is costing a total of about $US17 million ($19 million) for every day it lasts. The producers in the lawsuit, which was filed late yesterday, are part of the long-running shows Wicked, Hairspray, The Drowsy Chaperone, Rent, and The Lion King and newer shows Grease, Legally Blonde, Cyrano De Bergerac and The Little Mermaid.
New York stagehand strike brings down curtain on Broadway shows
The curtain has come down on Broadway's plays and musicals after a stagehand strike that threatens to drag on into the Christmas season, disappointing thousands of tourists and costing New York millions in lost revenue. The strike, which entered its third day today with no resolution in sight, has closed 27 shows, including The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia!, Wicked and Dr Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which opened the morning the strike began. The stoppage pits the largest stagehands' union, Local One, against the League of American Theaters and Producers. They have been in fruitless negotiations for three months since contracts expired in July. It also comes as writers in Hollywood continue their week-long strike, which has greatly disrupted television schedules and forced many networks to air re-runs and postpone new series.
Broadway talks to resume this weekend
NEW YORK (AP) -- Striking stagehands and Broadway producers are going back to the bargaining table, less than a week before the start of the lucrative Thanksgiving holiday weekend when most plays and musicals experience a box-office bonanza. Negotiations will resume this weekend "at an undisclosed place and time," the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the League of American Theatres said Wednesday. "No comment from either organization will be issued until further notice," both sides said in a joint statement. Was there pressure to return to the talks before Thanksgiving, when the city is filled with visitors here for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the start of the Christmas shopping season? "It was a factor," said Norman Samnick, an entertainment lawyer who specializes in labor relations for Bryan Cave LLP.
Revelry at 'The Grinch'
NEW YORK -- Strike-blighted Broadway is looking a bit brighter today as a Manhattan judge ruled that the musical "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" can reopen. Performances are expected to resume with the 11 a.m. show on Friday. After hearing arguments from the show's producers and the owners of the St. James Theatre, where "The Grinch" is booked, state Supreme Court Judge Helen Freedman ruled this morning that the $6 million holiday attraction could go on. Although the show's producers have a special contract with stagehands' union Local 1, the musical was shuttered by the strike on Nov. 10, along with 27 other Broadway attractions. "The Grinch" has a limited run through the holiday season and its contract differs from the now-broken agreement between Local 1 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the League of American Theatres and Producers.
Can't help lovin' 'Show Boat'
The 80th anniversary of the musical version of "Show Boat" will be commemorated next weekend by the National Symphony Orchestra, which will present pops concert revivals of the show on Nov. 23 and 24. The original production began its trek to Broadway at the National Theatre, as Washington was the first of four tryout cities. The decisive opening night was Dec. 27, 1927, at the namesake New York theater of producer Florenz Ziegfeld.
I recently spent several gratifying hours refreshing my memory of the film versions of "Show Boat." A DVD compilation evidently is in the works at Warner Bros. Home Video that will collect all three movies — originally released in 1929, 1936 and 1951 — in a comprehensive set.
The original musical remained on Broadway until the summer of 1929.
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