| Off-Broadway Remains Vibrant Option for Strike-Stranded Theatregoers
The Nov. 18 news that 27 Broadway shows would remain closed through Nov. 25, stranding thousands of Thanksgiving week theatregoers, sent a shockwave through the theatre community � from stagehand to dresser to actor to restaurateur to gift shop owner. The stalled talks between striking stagehands and producers have had a profound effect on those who make their living from Broadway, but it's also a serious disappointment to those who make Broadway a part of their Thanksgiving-week tradition. When Les Mis�rables was playing its original run, the annual performance on Thanksgiving night, for example, traditionally sold out. There was something about the show's message of hope and sacrifice that made the evening popular with families on Thanksgiving. An 8 PM performance of the revival production at the Broadhurst Theatre was scheduled for this year's Thanksgiving night as well.
How strikers stole the Grinch's Christmas
British tourists taking advantage of the weak dollar to do their Christmas shopping in New York are finding Broadway theatres dark, as a strike by stagehands stretches into the lucrative holiday season. Barbara Dow, a civil servant from Beckenham, Kent, and her daughter Joanna Lock, an ambulancewoman from Bethnal Green, East London, turned up to buy tickets on the Great White Way yesterday only to find most shows cancelled. "We wanted to spend one evening at the theatre. We are quite disappointed," Ms Dow said. "It’s the first visit to New York for both of us. We had heard there was a strike but we were not sure it was still on." Her daughter added: "It’s a shame really. A lot of people come from England to do their Christmas shopping at this time of year.
'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' won't reopen during Broadway strike
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.
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