The Broadway Strike Is Over!

On Day 19 of the strike that temporarily closed 27 Broadway shows, Local One and the League of American Theatres and Producers finally came to an agreement on the union's contract. Although the union won't vote to ratify the agreement for another 10 days, the stagehands are going right back to work, with all Broadway shows resuming performances on Thursday, November 29.

This was the first time that Local One went on strike in its entire 121-year history. Although it was hardly an ideal time for Broadway to be closed down (Thanksgiving week is usually a big moneymaker for Broadway shows) and millions of dollars were lost for both the shows and New York City, it doesn't seem that the strike did as much damage as might have been expected since no shows posted closing notices. However, the full impact of this nearly three week shutdown of Broadway will probably be better understood in the coming days and weeks.

One thing is for sure, though, and that's that Broadway needs the support of its fans now more than ever. So go get tickets for a show!

Broadway Re-Opening Right Around the Corner ... Fingers Crossed

Another day of talks between the stagehands and the producers, and another day with no resolution. However, both parties continue to send out optimistic signals and the buzz among Broadway folk is that the shows will finally go on in another day or so. Apparently the stickiest contract issues have been decided upon, and it's just a matter of hammering out a few more points. After a long night of negotiating, both sides broke this morning and are scheduled to resume talking tomorrow morning.

Local One and League in Talks Tonight

After a dark and silent Thanksgiving week, the League of American Theatres and Producers resumed contract negotiations with the Broadway stagehands union on Sunday. When the two parties broke early this morning for a 12-hour rest, word was that things were going in a positive direction. They reconvened this evening, and the Broadway community is hopeful that a resolution is on the horizon. With any luck, there will be some good news to report tomorrow.

Grinch Re-Opens on Broadway; Nederlanders Sue Local One

The producers of How the Grinch Stole Christmas were granted the injunction that they filed yesterday, and now Jujamcyn will have to open the doors of the St. James Theatre so that the musical can resume performances. Grinch will officially re-open on Broadway this Friday, November 23, just in time to snag those lucrative holiday weekend bucks.

But the courtroom drama isn't over. Today the Nederlander Organization, owner of nine of the theaters currently shut down due to the strike, filed a suit against Local One. As with the Grinch situation, this lawsuit stems from the fact that the Nederlanders are under a different contract than the one currently in dispute. However, this situation is a bit more complicated because a) the Nederlander-Local One contract is also expired, and b) prior to the strike, the Nederlanders sent Local One a letter basically stating that they would be acting in solidarity with the other theater owners.

How the Grinch Stole ... Thanksgiving?

The Broadway stagehands strike goes on, but there has been drama at the St. James Theatre this week. The theater was scheduled to be temporary home to the Broadway holiday musical How the Grinch Stole Christmas when Local One began its strike on November 10. However, due to the fact that Local One negotiated a contract with Grinch earlier this year that is separate from the one currently under dispute, the union agreed to go back to work at the St. James so that the show could resume. Unfortunately, though, Jujamcyn Theatres is not cooperating, refusing to open the doors to the theater until Local One ends its strike entirely. The latest news is that Grinch's producer is going to court to seek an injunction to force the theater to open up. Stay tuned ...

Talks Break; Broadway Shows Canceled Till 11/25

The latest round of negotiations between Local One and the League of American Theatres and Producers ended Sunday night without any progress. The League has announced that performances at the 27 Broadway theaters affected by the strike will now be canceled through November 25. The Broadway community had been hopeful that the two parties would be able to hammer out a contract before the very lucrative Thanksgiving week, but it appears that is not to be. No further negotiations have been scheduled at this time. Click here for information on how to get a refund if you have tickets for a Broadway show this week.