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Broadway Strike News Just Might Save Christmas

This Thanksgiving, most Broadway shows stayed dark due to the ongoing stagehands' strike, though the long weekend is typically one of the biggest of the year for New York theater receipts. Maybe the dreams of Thanksgiving Past--represented by a small child clutching a $20 color program and a hot pretzel--visited both sides, because two important developments may mean the return of Broadway before the cash-cow holiday season.

First, and most flashily, one closed show was allowed to re-open on Friday. "How The Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical" was the first show affected by the strike as it's been packing in extra shows just for the holiday season. The show appealed to the state Supreme Court, claiming it had its own agreement with the union (like some other still-open shows like "Mary Poppins" and "Xanadu") and was allowed to raise the curtain in time for the weekend.

Depending on where you stand on the strike, Dr. Seuss' greedy green creature may be emblematic of either side of this dispute. Both the producers and Local 1 went back into the negotiating room yesterday, hoping to stem the tide of losses which are estimated at $2 million per week. Nothing was resolved as talks went into the wee hours last night--but negotiations will resume tonight at 6:30.

We're hoping that the strike ends soon--not that we're buying those $100 tickets--because Broadway really does need it. But will the producers and Local 1 fall in line behind their Grinchy comerades?

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[Photo: jwilly]