| Broadway strike costs NYC, but tourists remain in town
The Marriott Marquis in New York's theater district was fully booked, but a street vendor selling hats and scarves in front of the hotel said his business was down by half. A restaurant two blocks away was also taking a big hit.
The strike that has shut down most of Broadway has delivered a blow to the local economy, but the labor dispute's overall economic impact is hard to gauge because Broadway represents just one slice of New York City's booming tourism industry.
Businesses that cater to theatergoers were suffering, but it did not appear that the strike was prompting droves of tourists to cancel their trips. "We show no indication that there's any change in travel patterns or any decline in travel to New York," said Jim Cohen, a spokesman for Orbitz.com.
Family, friends from Reading spend ‘healing day’ in famous Manhattan restaurant
Ryan Breneman might have given up after a back injury ended a promising Broadway dancing career that included a lead role in the European tour of the iconic '60s musical, “Hair." Instead, the former Reading resident began a new career three years ago in a trendy restaurant on Restaurant Row in New York's theater district. Hired as a daytime host, Ryan quickly worked his way up to maitre'd of Becco, an Italian restaurant owned by celebrity chef Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. Regarded as the “First Lady of Italian cuisine in U.S. restaurants," Bastianich is the star of television's “Lidia's Italian American Kitchen" and the PBS culinary hit, “Lidia's Italian Table." Jeremy Ensey, Becco's manager and Ryan's best friend, said Ryan had a natural affinity for dealing with people. He remembered the regular customers, saw to it that they got the seats they wanted and made their dining a pleasant experience.
Off-Broadway Biz Booms During Stalemate
With most of Broadway dark because of the stagehands strike, business is booming off-Broadway, especially for those theaters in the Times Square area. No new negotiations have been scheduled between Local One, the stagehands union, and the League of American Theatres and Producers. The stalemate has forced theatergoers to find other attractions, and off-Broadway has some 48 productions now playing, according to the League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers. On Monday in the theater district, people were passing out flyers advertising off-Broadway shows -- defined as productions in theaters with fewer than 499 seats. Jeramy Peay, promoting the off-Broadway musical Altar Boyz, said some people think all theaters are closed and don't realize that off-Broadway shows are open for business.
The show won't go on ...
A second day of talks between striking stagehands and Broadway producers broke down last night, leaving shows in the dark for at least another week at the start of one of Broadway's most lucrative periods all year, producers said last night.
"Out of respect for our public and our local theatergoers, many of whom are traveling from around the world, we regret that we must cancel performances through Sunday, Nov. 25," Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of the League of American Theatres and Producers, said in a statement last night.
Producers walked away from the table at a theater district hotel after 12 hours of negotiations, telling the stagehands' union that its offers "were not enough," said a representative of Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.
Broadway Lights Stay Dim, Talks Break Down
They say the lights are always bright on Broadway. But they won't be bright anytime soon. The latest talks between producers and striking stagehands have broken off, and Broadway performances have been canceled through Sunday, November 25.Broadway stagehands and theater producers met again Sunday, the second day of intense negotiations to find a solution to a strike by Local One that has kept 27 plays and musicals closed for more than a week. The two sides held a marathon, more than 12-hour session Saturday in a theater-district hotel. Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of the "League of American Theatres and Producers" sent out a statement Sunday evening to announce the cancelations. The statement reads: "We are profoundly disappointed to have to tell you that talks broke off tonight, and that no further negotiations are scheduled.
Broadway stalemate may kill holiday season along with shows on the brink
Broadway is bracing for a $135 million loss in ticket sales if the strike isn't settled soon - and shows that were already on the brink may close even sooner. "It's not good for the city," Mayor Bloomberg said Monday as producers and stagehands remained deadlocked over benefits and work rule changes. Two days of intense talks over the weekend did nothing to push the sides closer to resolving the 10-day strike that has crippled the Theater District. And if it continues, the most lucrative time of year for Broadway may be squandered. Last year, ticket sales brought in $134.4 million from Thanksgiving to Christmas - about 14% of annual ticket sales - with $23 million coming in during Thanksgiving week alone. Bloomberg said it's not just the loss of money he's worried about: "I think what hurts more is our reputation," he said.
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