As 8:00 drew close
on Saturday with no end to the Stagehands Strike in sight, audiences found
themselves turned away from many Broadway theaters. Police kept a quiet watch
over the picket lines. Strikers marched in endless circles and handed out
flyers to passers-by. Theatre owners explained how refunds could be obtained.
Children sobbed outside of The Little Mermaid. Emotions ran high
for everybody standing outside in the cold, but for all the disappointed
theatergoers, Broadway seemed remarkably calm.
Most audience
members reacted with disappointment. "We came all the way down for The
Seafarer," said Frank Reardon of Ottawa. "We're disappointed, for
sure, but I can understand what job action is. I always [have sympathy for the
strikers]. We'll do something else. All of New York is a show for me."
Some reacted with
anger. "We traveled 2,000 miles to come here, and this is what we're
reading in the morning in the paper," said an unidentified visitor from
Quebec outside of The Little Mermaid. "It's disgusting. Everybody
has to work." Luc Gregoire, also from Quebec, said that he and his family
had come to New York just to see a show. "I'm not that happy about it, but
there's not much I can do," he said. "There are so many tourists
traveling to New York just to see shows. It's not like [the strikers] are
jeopardizing some New Yorker's night. They're jeopardizing an event that people
planned, that they traveled a lot to see, because we don't have this kind of
show in Montreal, or anyplace else." Still, he had sympathy for the
strikers, and said that he would continue to visit New York and attend Broadway
shows. "I might not buy my tickets in advance," he added." I
might go on the TKTS line and try to get the tickets for the same night."
New Yorkers seemed
more sympathetic towards the strikers. "Honestly, I think it's great that
they're striking if they're not getting what they need," said Stephanie
from Harlem outside of Rock n' Roll. "It's unfortunate that I don't
get to see the show tonight, but yeah, I think it's great. I think more people
should strike."
Some Broadway
actors joined the picket lines, showing solidarity for their co-workers behind
the scenes. Julia Murney, recently of Wicked, mused on the complex
nature of the business and the strike. "You wish for the sides to come to
an agreement," she said, "because you want everyone to be able to go
back to work, and you want [everyone to] get what they need on both sides of
the argument." The situation, she says, is "not very cut-and-dry.
It's very complicated. It is difficult. There's no way you can do these shows
without the stagehands, from a simple show to a very complicated show. You
can't do it without them... I just hope that they find a way to get back to the
table." Even Murney had to admit to some personal disappointment from the
strike: "I had a cousin who came in today to see Curtains this afternoon
and was so devastated. I hear the kids are crying a lot."
At
How The Grinch Stole Christmas,
however, kids crowded under the St. James marquee and grinned as the cast sang
a medley of songs from the show. At least for some theatergoers left out in the
cold, the show still went on as best it could.
