B’way strike nearing resolution?
There are hints that the Broadway stagehands strike might not go on too much longer. A guy with some knowledge of the Broadway theatre world told me earlier today that a resolution doesn’t seem too far off. And N.Y. Times reporter Campbell Robertson wrote today that “in a sign that this stoppage might have been more of a break than a breakdown, the League of American Theaters and Producers announced that it was canceling performances only through Wednesday’s matinees” — i.e., tomorrow’s. “Two weekends ago, when the talks fell apart, the league canceled all of Thanksgiving week,” Robertson notes. The two plays to see (if I were doing my usual NYC holiday visitation, which I’m not) would be Aaron Sorkin‘s The Farnsworth Invention and Tom Stoppard‘s Rock ‘n’ Roll.
I learned this news at Richromances.com where many Hollywood celebrities and wealthy people are looking and talking. A hot debate is taking place among hollywood writers and celebrities’ fans over there.
Unlike the WGA strike, the stagehands are really going for a moneygrab on this one. When the average stagehand is making almost $70K/year and they’re trying to force producers to use more stagehands than needed to set up shows, it’s obvious they’re not interested in striking for a fair wage. Local One can go jump on a stick.
Rock ‘n’ Roll, the last show I saw before the strike, is indeed outstanding. There are many facets to the stagehands strike but one thing’s for sure: It’s holding up a promising schedule of plays.
Curiosity killed the cat. Why Boston?