| Strike claims play about inventor of TV
NEW YORK Another lousy break for Philo Farnsworth. Farnsworth is the chap who invented television 80 years ago and then was cheated out of his due credit, fame and riches. He died in 1971, but, 36 years later, he was poised for a posthumous revival. A new play about him was opening on Broadway -- then theater stagehands went on strike. Granted, "The Farnsworth Invention" is just one of 27 Broadway productions the strike has shuttered for now. He is hardly the only victim. Even so, the pattern of how hard luck dogs Farnsworth, even in death, is hard to miss. Written by Aaron Sorkin (back on Broadway after several movies and TV series, notably "The West Wing"), the play dramatizes Farnsworth's losing battle with David Sarnoff, legendary boss of the Radio Corporation of America and founder of NBC.
Motor Home in Hilton Destroyed
A fire in Hilton late Friday night destroyed a family motor home. It happened on Lawton Road near Sweden Walker Road around 11 p.m. Firefighters arrived on scene to find the family's RV in the driveway, completely engulfed in flames. Three pumper trucks had to be brought in to battle the blaze since there's no water supply in the vicinity. Firefighters were able to contain the blaze before it spread to the house. Investigators are working to determine what caused the fire. ll/cdo Monroe County FireWire
Email this Story to a Friend Print Friendly Version .
Block, Murney, Burgess, Shelley and More Set for Hurricane Noel Fundraiser
A host of Broadway talent will lend their voices to a Nov. 25 fundraiser to aid the victims of Hurricane Noel, which has devastated portions of the Dominican Republic. Entitled ER for the D.R. Benefit, the evening � produced by Wicked's Ioana Alfonso � will be held at SOB's on Varick Street in Manhattan. Among those scheduled to perform are Stephanie J. Block, Sebastian Arcelus, Annaleigh Ashford, Julia Murney, Tituss Burgess, Carole Shelley, Leah Hocking, Marty Thomas, Brandi Chavonne-Massey, Kathy Deitch and The Broadway Boys. Show time is 7:30 PM. Salsa dancing to a live band will follow the performances. All funds raised will go directly to the victims of the hurricane through Sur Futuro, a "a not-for-profit organization in the Dominican Republic which works to promote economic development and social responsibility in the Dominican Republic." Visit www.surfuturo.org for more information.
Bloomberg Plays Different Role in Strike
Broadway was only four days into a strike in 2003 when New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg pressured both sides to come together and warned of the looming ''severe economic impact'' that could result from the dispute. This time, theaters have been dark for more than a week and the mayor is not only refraining from wagging his finger in public, he's downplaying the potential damage the stagehands strike could cause the city and shrugging off some of the concerns he voiced four years ago. The losses, he said Monday, are mostly contained to the theater industry, and theatergoers counting on Broadway shows may be disappointed. Otherwise, it's hard to quantify any sort of economic setback, and life goes on, he said. ''I think what it hurts more is our reputation, and it's the psychic things rather than dollars,'' he said.
Day 4: The Strike and Eight Shows Go On
The strike initiated by Local One, the stagehands union, reaches its fourth day Nov. 13. Only eight Broadway shows will offer performances Tuesday evening, while the remaining 27 productions will remain dark. The third day of the strike (Nov. 12) was marked by a notable silence from either side: Neither the union nor the League of American Theatres and Producers issued a statement or held a press conference. There was also no word as to whether any further negotiations had been scheduled. The silence was perhaps apropros, as Nov. 12 was the first day since the strike began where Broadway was completely dark. Among the eight still-running shows, none offered Monday-night performances; those few shows that do regularly perform on Mondays were affected by the strike and, therefore, went dark.
A retooled "Birdie" flies home to the Rep
The last time Seattle-based writer Cheryl L. West had one of her plays done at Seattle Repertory Theatre was in 1998, when her Broadway musical "Play On!" ran there. Now she's back at the Rep, which is about to open a newish piece of hers, "Birdie Blue." The single-act play chronicles a lengthy marriage in the African-American community. It debuted Off Broadway in 2005 with S. Epatha Merkerson (a star on TV's "Law and Order") in the lead. Due to her TV shooting schedule, Merkerson was not available to play Birdie in Seattle. But West says she's very satisfied with the three-member cast here under Chuck Smith's direction. It includes Chicago actors Velma Austin and Sean Blake, and Seattle's own William Hall Jr. West was also happy for the chance to revise this impressionistic script about a middle-age woman who recalls her life as a transplanted Southerner in Chicago, while she bakes her son a birthday cake and tends to her ill husband.
Broadway strike casts shadow over holidays
NEW YORK -- With no 8 p.m. curtain, Owen Johnston won't have to eat and run this Thanksgiving. But while the "Rent" actor will enjoy spending the holiday with family, the Broadway stagehands strike that has sidelined him is "an ever present cloud." .
|
