Broadway Theatre strike IS OVER!!!!

[Imzadi]

EDITED: Cancelled about The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

 

[java]

Well we are back (dd11 and I )from our trip yesterday to NYC...we actually ended up having a great time !!! As I had posted earlier ,we did have tickets to see Wicked , but as you all know that was not going to happen.
Luckily we did get seated at Ellen's Stardust Diner for lunch, they escorted the 2 of us right in , past the long line around the corner (they actually had a table for 2 right away ). I figured that if we couldn't see a Broadway show that day ...then this would be the next best thing ! And it was ...one of the waitresses actually sang a song from "Wicked"...she was awesome!!! It actually brought a tear to my eye ...it felt as though she knew we couldn't get tickets to the show and was singing it just for us (I know it sounds corny). We had a great day !!!

We weren't going to hit Ellen's this time but I think you have changed my mind. We are lucky to be seeing Young Frankenstein. But I am betting the singers at Ellen's might be some of the regulars in the theater shows now. I love it normally think they sing their hearts out. So looks like breakfast on Sunday at Ellen's!

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Ellen's was really a highlight for us. We enjoyed the atmosphere and the food! We saw it then went to Wicked last year. I hope you all that have missed your shows can go back.

 

[TDC Nala]

Would it be advisable to buy a Xanadu ticket for January NOW? I was holding off to see if there would be discounts.

 

[MEG&MINNIE]

MEG&MINNIE, I'm glad you had a great time in spite of not seeing the show and that you got your OWN song from "Wicked" sung for you.

Yes, to all of you that may be going to NYC and missing a Broadway show ...there is still plenty to see and do in the city! We had a wonderful trip and did a few things that we had never done in our past visits. We went into Toys R Us and the M&M Store at Times Square...lots of fun to be had!!!
And lunch at Ellen's Stardust diner was the highlight of our day !
Maybe in the spring we'll plan another bus trip that WILL include "Wicked" !!!

 

[SamRoc]

It always amazed me that stagehands salary is about $150,000 and an actual performer (actors equity member) makes $70,000 a year. ($1354 per week is starting salary) You would think someone who is actually performing on Broadway would make a better salary. I guess thats something the actors would have to take up with Actors Equity.
I'm a little confused about what local one wants when it comes to load in. If more stagehands are used during the load in of a new show, and they have to stay on salary for the entire run of the show, exactly what are they doing during that run if there are already stagehands previously hired to do props, sound board etc. Is that what the theater producers want to get rid of?

 

[bicker]

It always amazed me that stagehands salary is about $150,000 and an actual performer (actors equity member) makes $70,000 a year. ($1354 per week is starting salary) You would think someone who is actually performing on Broadway would make a better salary.

Hmmm.... I'm not surprised at all. Actors gain two things from their work: the money and the exposure. An actor's resume -- specifically the shows and roles they've performed in -- is as valuable to many actors as the money they make. And acting skills, specifically, aren't translatable to other disciplines (except perhaps used car salesman ) Back-stage technicians, on the hand, are highly-skilled workers, those skills being in high demand beyond the theater world.

 

[mbw12]

It doesn't look like that special negotiations to let the Grinch go on is going to happen.......

November 20, 2007 -- The Grinch has been Grinched.

The owner of the theater that houses “How The Grinch Stole Christmas" yesterday squelched a deal that would have enabled the multimillion-dollar holiday musical to re-open tonight.
Jujamcyn Theaters, Broadway's third-largest theater owner, will not allow striking stagehands back into the St. James - even though the stagehands yesterday took down their picket line in front of the theater.

James Claffey, the head of Local One, the stagehands union, called off the strike against “The Grinch" because the show is only running through the holidays and is in danger of shutting down permanently now that the League of American Theaters and Producers has announced that most of Broadway will be dark through the Thanksgiving Day weekend.

But Jujamcyn agreed to stand firm with other theater owners and producers whose shows have been shut down by the strike.

“‘The Grinch' will not re-open until the union signs agreements and ends the strike at all other theaters and all other shows that have been closed by their strikes," said Paul Libin, an executive with Jujamcyn Theaters.

A source close to Jujamcyn said the company, whose other theaters have been shut down by the strike, would not allow the union to use “The Grinch" to score a victory.

“They are standing firm with the rest of us against Local One," the source said.

At a press conference yesterday, the cast was distraught.

“I totally want to go back to work," said 9-year-old Athena Ripka, who plays Cindy Loo. “I like being on stage. I like to see people smile and clap and be happy. It's always been my dream to be on Broadway."

After the press conference, Ripka, bawling her little Cindy Loo eyes out, had to be carried out of the room by her mother.

James Sanna, the producer of “The Grinch," said he would go to court to try to force Jujamcyn to re-open the St. James.

“‘The Grinch' is a PR football being kicked around and we're not going to take it anymore," he fumed. “We are seeking an injunction. Kids all over the country want to see ‘The Grinch.' "

A top theater executive dismissed Sanna's claims.

Local One's contract, the source said, is with Jujamcyn Theaters, not with the producers of “The Grinch." Jujamcyn must approve any deal the producers try to make with the union.

The producers believe the union leader scuttled a proposal Sunday that could have had Broadway up and running again this week.

The producers, however, have agreed to meet with Claffey again this Sunday.

 

[mbw12]

Now it looks as tho there is a court ordered injunction for the Grinch to go on starting the day after Thanksgiving. Wish they would settle and ALL start performing again!!!!
How the Grinch Stole Christmas Back on at St. James; Perfs Restart 11/23
by Broadway.com Staff

Patrick Page & Rusty Ross
in Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch
Stole Christmas

There is joy in Whoville. Sidelined by the stagehands strike since November 10, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas is coming back to Broadway. The musical adaptation of the beloved holiday tale will restart performances at the St. James Theatre on Friday, November 23 at 11AM.
Grinch producers were granted an injunction after appealing to a New York Supreme Court judge earlier today. Jujamcyn Theatres, which owns and operates the St. James Theatre, had barred the production from restarting earlier in the week despite the fact that the show had a different contract from the other 27 Broadway productions affected by the strike.


Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas stars Patrick Page as The Grinch, Rusty Ross as Young Max, Ed Dixon as Old Max, Aaron Galligan-Stierle as JP Who, Tari Kelly as Mama Who, Jan Neuberger as Grandma Who and Caroline London and Athena Ripka alternating in the role of Cindy Lou Who.

 

[Hidden_Mickey]

We have tickets for Grease on December 9th for DD's Birthday. I hope that this weekend hurts both sides and they end it early next week. We have been planning this for 6 months and it would really stink if we couldn't go.

 

[crazyme5kids]

I know someone who has a very good friend that works for a Broadway play, a long running one, she has been with it for years. The friend is not part of Local 1 though, she holds a different position. She told the person I know that over this holiday weekend alone the play would be making $30,000,000 ! I thought she made a mistake and questioned it. Nope she said I heard right. That's a lot of money not to be making for a weekend.

 

[Imzadi]

Day 15:

Broadway Talks Set To Resume Sunday
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=75903

November 24, 2007

Broadway producers and stagehands are set to talk again in an effort to end the stagehands' strike that's now in its third week.

Theater sources tell NY1 a new round of negotiations is scheduled for Sunday.

Meanwhile, "Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" – which was the first show affected by the strike – reopened yesterday at the St. James Theatre.

The theater's owner had refused to open it until the strike was settled. But a judge agreed with the show's producers, who argued the show should open because of a separate contract with stagehands.

Theatergoers and show officials were happy the curtain went up.

“We watched TV everyday to see if we could find out if they were going to do anything, and we finally got to see it, thank goodness,” said a ticket holder.

"The spirit in there was really elevated. Everyone was really excited and very much appreciative of all the hard work,” added another. “And you could tell all the kids were really excited to be on stage, because they'd not been able to do what they'd practiced so hard."

"It has been a huge relief,” said Tomm Miller, VP of Marketing for “The Grinch.” “Everybody here just wants to perform. We have a great cast, a fabulous show, a dedicated crew, and everybody's so happy to come back to work."

Show organizers expect thousands of people to show up for this weekend's 11 performances.


~~~~~~~~~
Curtain Rises On "Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas!"
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?&aid=75894&search_result=1&stid=1

After a court ruling earlier this week, the St. James Theater is open and "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" returned to the stage at 11 a.m. Friday. NY1’s Amanda Farinacci filed the following report.

“They didn't stop Christmas from coming! It came!” – elated words from the guy famous for snatching Christmas, echoing the sentiment of theatergoers who showed up for Fridays early performance of “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” – the first show to close its doors because of the Broadway strike and now, the first to reopen them.

“When we all found out that it was going back on, we were all screaming and crying,” said “Grinch” actor Caroline London. “We were all so excited.”

"The spirit in there was really elevated. Everyone was really excited and very much appreciative of all the hard work,” said theatergoer Michelle Hatton. “And you could tell all the kids were really excited to be on stage, because they'd not been able to do what they'd practiced so hard."

Stagehands turned up to work early, after a judge granted producers an injunction Wednesday to allow the show to reopen, despite the strike. Producers argued they had a separate agreement with Local One, and they said that any job action would be particularly damaging to their show because of its limited holiday run.

"It has been a huge relief,” said Tomm Miller, VP of Marketing for “The Grinch.” “Everybody here just wants to perform. We have a great cast, a fabulous show, a dedicated crew, and everybody's so happy to come back to work."

Ticket holders packed the street early, buzzing with anticipation. Some came because the show they wanted to see is still dark; others came specifically to see “The Grinch” and were relieved they could.

“Because of the strike, it happened by default. ”So we were happy that at least there was one show available for us to see,” said ticket holder Cynthia Felix.

“We came by to find out if the strike was going to be over on Wednesday, and we saw somebody that was in the play, and he was touching the doors for good luck. And we talked to him, and he said Friday was going to be the opening day. So we went right back to the hotel and got on the computer,” said ticket holder David Flores. “[We were relieved] because out of the four we were going to see, we were only going to get to see one of them because the other three were on strike.”


.

 

[Tine731]

Thank you for the update.

 

[SplshMtnLvr28]

I really hope this all gets resolved tomorrow.

But, I heard something about the Nederlanders suing Local One for around $35 million for the money they've lost, and that it will possibly delay any resolutions. Hope it's just a rumor, some of these shows were already just barely hanging on, this strike isn't helping in the least bit.

 

[SamRoc]

I was talking to my neighbor who is in the electrical workers union in NY and he said that local ones stagehands were ready for this strike to last a long time, and that they gathered together over 5 million dollars in a strike fund so they could continue paying their employees. I guess we won't be using our Little Mermaid tickets on tuesday that I bought months ago. Lets hope this gets resolved soon.
Heres a list of the 8 shows that are still running if anyone is interested:

Xanadu, The Ritz, Mauritius, Cymbeline, Pygmalion, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Young Frankenstein, Mary Poppins and Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Here are some other suggestions for things to do if the show you were going to see is canceled: Look into events at Lincoln Center. There are many wonderful things going on there, The Nutcracker being just one of them.

Go see a concert, there are places all over the city. Don't ever assume a show is sold out. Even a show at MSG very often releases tickets the day of. Check it out, go the the box office.

 

[Imzadi]

Day 17: Talks will resume at 7pm this evening.


http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=75920

Talks Adjourn, But Hope Remains For Deal To End Broadway Strike

November 26, 2007

After failing to reach a deal following overnight negotiations, representatives from the League of American Theaters and striking stagehands say they'll reconvene this evening in the hope of ending the Broadway strike, which is now entering its third week.

Officials announced shortly after 6 a.m. that the two sides would return to the bargaining table at 7:00 p.m. to resume negotiations.

The two sides met on Sunday afternoon with the intention of hammering out a deal that would allow the reopening of the more than two dozen Broadway shows that have been dark for much of November.

But after nearly 18 hours of talks, the two sides failed to reach a compromise on the issues that separate them, including the question of how many workers should be assigned to the load-in, when a set is put into place for a show.

Representatives are hoping to resolve the strike in time for shows to reopen on Tuesday, following Broadway's traditional off-day on Monday.

Sunday's meeting was the first since the two sides last talked a week ago. The failure to reach an agreement last weekend left more than two dozen Broadway shows dark during the lucrative Thanksgiving holiday.

Officials estimate the strike cost the theaters and surrounding businesses $2 million a day in lost revenue while it was taking place.

The financial impact of the strike has also been felt by one of the industry's leading non-profits.

The group Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS held a fundraiser last night with a reading of "The Homecoming." The show doesn't open until December 13th, but the producers are already trying to make up for a gap in donations.

"If there was no a strike for example, the actors, nightly, at the Court Theatre, where ‘The Homecoming’ will be playing would be taking buckets out at the end of the show and asking patrons if they had enjoyed the performance to contribute to this very worthy organization,” said Jeffrey Richards, producer, “The Homecoming.”

"With the shows down for two weeks, we haven't been able to make those appeals, and that's a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars for us that the cast of ‘The Homecoming’ is helping us to make up,” said Tom Viola of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Broadway Cares gives grants to organizations that treat those with HIV and AIDS.

For more information, visit www.broadwaycares.org.

.

 

[Imzadi]

Day 18: http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=75965

Broadway Talks Break Off With No Deal In Place

November 27, 2007

Talks between Broadway stagehands and producers have broken off after a second straight all-night negotiation session.

The League of American Theatres and Producers released a statement saying that talks will resume tomorrow at 10 a.m. and that performances will be canceled through tomorrow's matinees.

Both sides seemed optimistic at the start of talks last night and negotiated for 13 hours. The union didn't describe it as a "breakdown" in talks but rather as a mutual decision to take a break.

“We felt that as long as sides are talking, there was a good chance that we could come out here and announce a deal. Sadly, there is no deal at the moment,” said Local One spokesman Bruce Cohen earlier this morning. “There will be a deal in the future, hopefully sooner than later. Hopefully tomorrow or the next day or the next day."

Michael David, producer of the hit show “Jersey Boys” and the not-yet-opened “Farnsworth Invention” also said he is still hopeful producers and stagehands will reach an agreement.

"We'll see if it works out,” said David.

While the load in issue seems to have been resolved, sources say one of the major sticking points remaining is how much stagehands should be paid for mopping the stage.

The strike – which has shut down more than two dozen plays and musicals – is now in its third week.

Even if an agreement is reached just after the talks resume, NY1 has been told it would probably take another day to get shows back up and running – meaning it's unlikely they could resume before Thursday. The League says losing Tuesday evening and Wednesday matinee and evening shows translates into the loss of anywhere from 30-40,000 theatre-goers for each performance.

Tourists who came to town to see shows on the Great White Way are crushed by the news that Broadway may remain dark for the remainder of their trips.

"That's a shame,” said one visitor. “We are going to be disappointed."

Restaurant workers are also hoping this strike comes to a close very soon. At Maxie's restaurant on 48th and Seventh Avenue, managers say they've seen a 35 percent drop in business since the strike began.

"It's no good at all,” said Ali Fakih, the restaurant’s manager. “Right now we are going day by day and we'll see how it goes."

For now, the only people visiting most of the theatres are the striking union workers.

 

[Tantor]

thanks for keeping us updated. Hopefully this will be over soon!

 

[LoraJ]

What is forcing the theater owners to even use unions? I just don't think they are needed anymore in the entertainment industry. I can't tell you how happy I was when we were taken over by NBC and they decided not to put us at 30 Rock, which is a union building.