| 'Grinch' May Not Get Chance To Steal Xmas In NYC
Could the Grinch get Christmas stolen out from under him? The limited holiday engagement of "Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" won't reopen until the lengthening labor dispute between Broadway stagehands and theater producers is settled, James Sanna, the show's producer, said Monday. "It's not like there's an option to rebook the show," Sanna said, adding that the musical "is losing a significant amount of money." Sanna had wanted to resume Tuesday, the start of the lucrative Thanksgiving holiday when "Grinch" was to play 15 performances -- almost twice the usual number of weekly performances for Broadway shows. The producer said an agreement for "Grinch" was reached over the summer and signed by both the League of American Theatres and Producers and Local 1, the stagehands union, and the current contract wrangle does not involve his production.
Broadway strike disappoints fans traveling to N.Y. on bus tours
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Bus tour packages are a popular way for many out-of-state theater fans to get dinner and see a Broadway show in New York. But the stagehands' strike has led to waves of disheartened day-trippers, logistical headaches for organizers, and lower revenues for tour companies. Starr Tours, with offices in Philadelphia and Trenton, New Jersey, usually sends more than 10,000 people to see Broadway shows every year. Vice president Sandy Borowsky says that number will be down this year. The show stoppage has forced the cancellation of 8 buses so far. That represents more than 400 would-be theatergoers. Deborah Joyce of Senior Citizens United Community Services of Camden County, New Jersey, says her group canceled a busload of travelers planning to see "Mamma Mia!" on Sunday.
Little Mermaid Postpones Broadway Opening
Due to the ongoing stagehands strike that has temporarily shuttered 27 Broadway shows, the new Disney musical The Little Mermaid has postponed its Broadway opening. The musical, which began previews Nov. 3, was scheduled to officially open at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre Dec. 6. That date has been postponed; a new opening date has yet to be announced. The news of the postponement was announced Nov. 20 in a press statement that reads, "As a result of the current labor dispute, the new Broadway production of Disney's The Little Mermaid has postponed its previously announced Opening Night performance on December 6th. Previews will resume when the dispute is resolved and a revised plan for opening night will be announced at that time." Sierra Boggess heads the cast in the title role of Ariel, who longs "to be where the people are" (as the lyric goes), above the water's surface.
Broadway stagehand strike disappoints tourists
As if the Grinch really had stolen Christmas, children cried and parents were crestfallen. Confusion, surprise and anger played at ticket windows, and dispossessed theatergoers shared the sidewalks with grim pickets on Saturday as the stagehands' strike shut down most of Broadway's plays and musicals. Up and down the Great White Way and in the side streets where Broadway's theaters are clustered, marquees fell dark, and the electric playland of Times Square -- normally pulsing with anticipation for Saturday matinees -- was a canyon of gloom in Midtown Manhattan's petrified forest. Crowds of both US and foreign tourists, busloads from suburbia, throngs who had come by train or cab with children or grandchildren were caught off guard by the walkout and abruptly drawn into chaos: scrambling for refunds, seeking tickets to the few shows that remained open and in desperation looking for other attractions to ease their disappointment.
Strike unlikely to affect Broadway Series
Chances of the lights going out at Cincinnati's Aronoff Center, home to touring Broadway shows, are slim even though an ongoing stagehands strike has darkened all but eight New York City Broadway theaters since last Saturday. Broadway shows idled because of the strike include the musicals "Wicked" and "Jersey Boys." In addition, Broadway openings of such new shows as Conor McPherson's new play "The Seafarer" have been delayed. The work stoppage is expensive for the theater community. For instance, last week the Broadway box office gross on "Wicked" alone was near $853,000 for just eight performances. The Aronoff Center for the Arts, downtown, is currently hosting the touring musical "Camelot" through Nov. 25, but expects no extension of the strike to road shows. "I have no information at this time that this strike is likely to have any effect on the local market," said Stephen Loftin, president and executive director of the Cincinnati Association for the Arts that manages the Aronoff Center, Music Hall and Memorial Hall.
Broadway lights still dim as talks break off
NEW YORK (Back Stage East) - Negotiations between the Broadway stagehands union and the League of American Theatres and Producers broke off Sunday night with no settlement and no apparent end to the nine-day strike in sight. Since the strike, 27 shows have been shuttered, and several could close for good if the two sides don't reach a settlement soon. "Just before the talks broke off, the producers informed Local One that what the union had offered was simply not enough," read a statement from Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). "The producers then walked out. Local One will have no further comment." .
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