Category: theatre

“The addition of two productions to the Globe’s 2008 line-up follows a record breaking 2007 season, which saw it take more than £5 million in ticket sales, a rise of £520,000 on 2006’s figures.”

The parties announced the adjournment about 6:30 a.m. The talks between producers and stagehands began Sunday evening and lasted through the night.

“It seems incredible that rumbling gangs of stagehands (the Jets) and producers (the Sharks) have blundered into the dumbest strike in decades.”

“A rich culture of protest theater has sprung up in Zimbabwe, but artists are under increasing pressure from President Robert Mugabe’s security forces as he crushes dissent. In recent years, most independent newspapers have been shut down, opposition parties have been infiltrated by CIO spies, and activists have been arrested, beaten and sometimes killed.”

“Is Broadway really twice as good today as it was in 1968? Now that most of Broadway is shuttered, it has become clearer than ever before that there are better and cheaper places to get a steak.”

Alan Ayckbourn is “not only the most prolific playwright of his generation but also the most widely produced. He is probably, in fact, the most successful-in-own-lifetime playwright there has ever been, including Shakespeare.”

Xanadu wasn’t expected to be the hit of the fall Broadway season, and it didn’t garner great reviews in its out-of-town tryouts. But as one of the few productions still running during the stagehands’ strike, the show has seen its fortunes rise considerably.

“Striking stagehands and theatre producers agreed to return to the bargaining table almost a week after negotiations collapsed and kept most of Broadway dark during the lucrative Thanksgiving week – the second full week of no performances.”

There’s plenty of bad blood between the striking Broadway stagehands and the producers who are insisting on changes to their contract. But if there’s one thing both sides agree on, it’s that the dispute comes down to fairness.

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical is officially back open on Broadway despite the stagehands’ strike that has shut down most other shows. “Performers, ticket takers and union officials said they hoped the reopening would push both sides in the strike toward a resolution in time to reawaken Broadway for the holidays.”