Theater/Symphony
Broadway Goes Dark in the Face of Strike
By Duane Wells

Nov 13, 2007

Broadway favorite Maxwell Caufield

It may not be such a happy holiday season on Broadway if the stagehand strike that began on Saturday continues through December. The majority of Broadway’s theatres went dark this past weekend as a dispute between stagehands and theatre owners and producers reached a boiling point after three months of intense negotiation.  

In total, over twenty-five Broadway shows were canceled, including major draws like Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Chicago, The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Hairspray, Mamma Mia and The Lion King.  

According to Reuters, the theater league said the strike by the stagehands, who have been working without a contract since July, would cost about $17 million for every day it lasts.  

With the holiday season approaching, the strike comes at a crucial time for the Great White Way which generally sees a boost in sales during this period.  

While the theater league issued a statement deploring the strike as "a sad day for Broadway,” New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has called on both sides to resolve their differences, saying in a statement, "While this is a private labor matter, the economic impact is very public and will be felt far beyond the theaters closed today."  

Shows not affected by the strike include: The Ritz, Xanadu and The Putnam County Spelling Bee. Off-Broadway theaters, nonprofit theaters on Broadway and a handful of major productions including Mary Poppins and Young Frankenstein are also not expected to be affected by the strike.