Broadway Strikers, Owners to Resume Talks

Three Weeks After Stage Lights Dimmed, Economic Toll on City Is in the Spotlight

NEW YORK, Nov. 24 -- The City That Never Sleeps is taking a long nap. For a third week, nearly every Broadway play and musical remained closed, the doors on "The Daily Show" were locked, and "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical" wound up in court as strikes by theater stagehands and television writers dampened holiday spirits and racked up a harsh economic toll on New York.

Stagehands and theater owners and producers agreed Saturday night to resume talks, beginning Sunday, but already, city officials estimate, the theatrical strike has cost more than $40 million and climbing, leaving all parties strapped for cash as Christmas and cold temperatures loom.

More than two dozen theatrical productions have been canceled, including acclaimed dramas starring Kevin Kline, Jennifer Garner and Bill Pullman that had been expected to draw thousands of tourists. "Pygmalion," starring Claire Danes, was unaffected by the walkout.

But there were no tickets left for that show. Instead, visitors found themselves puzzling over a number of off-Broadway productions and circus offerings.

"Have you heard of any of these shows?" Marilyn Koller, a 58-year-old Philadelphia tourist, asked the lone salesclerk at a discount ticket booth in Times Square. The clerk hadn't.

There was a little relief for families Friday when a judge ordered the cast and crew of "Grinch" back to work the day after Thanksgiving.

The children's musical was exempted from the strike because of its limited run, becoming one of the few bright lights on Broadway during a holiday weekend that should have kicked off a lucrative theater season.

Elsewhere, would-be theatergoers were replaced by intimate picket lines around long-running productions such as "Rent" and "Phantom of the Opera."

Striking stagehands of Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees had hoped to reach agreement with theater owners a week ago, but talks fell apart over the number of stagehands required to install and operate sets, lighting, sound and props for a Broadway show.

The Nederlander Organization, which owns nine of the 27 theaters affected by the strike, then sued the union, claiming $35 million in damages.

The union has been holding out for guarantees that a specific number of stagehands will be used for each production.

But the League of American Theaters and Producers says that some shows can be run by fewer stagehands than the union claims. Both have set aside multimillion dollar strike funds, though the producers have $20 million, about four times as much as the union has.

The union has also complained that record-high revenue is not trickling down to the workers; the League says profits, despite $100 tickets, are down because of high production costs and the number of shows that closed after unsuccessful runs.

"We hope to come up with a fair and equitable deal, and, with more than two dozen shows canceled, we believe we have the muscle to get one," said Bruce Cohen, the union's spokesman.

More than 300 stagehands have been on the picket lines for three weeks, with the strike affecting hundreds of actors, hair and makeup artists, wardrobe people, ticket-takers and maintenance staff.

Restaurant owners have offered 15 percent discounts, and shopkeepers in the theater district have put their merchandise on sale to draw tourists.

The strike has affected more than the productions themselves. The cast of "Legally Blonde," a musical based on the hit 2001 movie, marched in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade without their costumes or props -- all under lock-and-key during the walkout.

North of the theater district, a strike by television writers entered its second month, keeping out audiences hoping to attend the "Late Show With David Letterman," "The Colbert Report," "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" and "Saturday Night Live." Some of the "SNL" comedians performed at a comedy club last weekend, and a few writers for "The Daily Show" have published online humor pieces about the daily travails of strike life.