Broadway Stagehands Strike

New York City is one of the few places in the English-speaking world where live theatre is a major tourist attraction. So the news that the stagehands have struck against all but 8 Broadway plays is a serious blow not just to the city’s economy but also to the culture. The bad news is that this may go on quite a while. The good news is off-Broadway shows aren’t affected, and usually have better quality plays anyway.

Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance, put it into perspective, “If you think about it, there are 27 dark theaters. That’s 30,000 to 40,000 people each night who are not going to dinner, not wandering around the streets of Times Square, not booking a hotel room. That’s a powerful hit.” He added, “And Wednesday will be the first day without a full matinee – that’s 60,000 to 80,000 people who are not going to be spending time, and money, in the Theater District,”

As usual, the strike is about money, and it’s one of those strikes that makes no sense to people outside the industry. The theatre producers want to hire fewer stagehands and to have greater flexibility over rules governing putting up and taking down sets. The stagehands want to keep their jobs, and they believe that any group like the producers who have the audacity to demand $450 a ticket (that’s right, $450 for one seat in the orchestra for “Young Frankenstein”) can afford to properly staff their theatres.

Now, the good news. Because the stagehands have a different contract with 8 of the Broadway theatres, the tourist can still see: “Young Frankenstein,” “Mary Poppins,” “Xanadu,” “Mauritius,” “Pygmalion,” “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” “The Ritz” and “Cymbeline.” The latter four are non-profit projects. In addition, the League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers says 48 shows Off-Broadway are still open for business.

So, the pop musicals and celebrity vehicle shows are closed. Less lucrative musicals are on offer like “The Awesome 80s Prom” and “The Fantasticks.” There’s a production of “Hamlet,” of “Richard III” and Moliere’s “The Misanthrope.” No fewer than 32 different theatre companies (yes 32) have announced their new seasons, which will go ahead whether the strike is resolved or not. “Les Miserables” is dark tonight, but given all the other productions underway, isn’t that rather a lot of fuss over a loaf of bread?

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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