Strike Coverage: Musical Mondays Attracts Larger Crowd Hungry for Theatre

Though silence has set upon many of the Broadway theaters, "Musical Mondays" at Splash made a whole lot of noise this week. The always popular venue was packed as video after video of musical performances kept the Broadway vibe alive in Chelsea. Though spirits were high, the strike was not far from peoples minds. The theater professionals that frequent the show tune shindig spoke of the angst so many are feeling as they wait for both sides to come to a compromise.

"What I am getting from everyone is a real sense of frustration," said resident VJ John Bantay, "You certainly feel for people who have tickets to a show, especially folks that have flown in or traveled from far."

Bantay certainly understands what the actors are going through. A performer himself, he has two Broadway shows under his belt, a revival of Hello Dolly! with Carol Channing and the Tony Award winning revival of The King and I.

On November 27, Bantay will be making his third Broadway appearance when he steps into the role of one of the patrons in The Ritz, now playing at Studio 54. Luckily for Bantay, The Ritz is one of a handful of shows that have not closed due to the strike.

When asked if the battle of wills is indicative of a new corporate mindset that has over taken the Great White Way, Bantay tends to agree.

"I think producers of the past looked at things from more of an artistic viewpoint," he says, "There is a different feeling out there than there was fifteen, even ten years ago. It is such a big business. They are afraid of losing money."

A corporate mindset also means producers who have an outlook that is geared towards numbers and the bottom line. The corporate America of today is not one that is used to hearing from unions any more, much less being swayed by them.

Many might argue this philosophy has trickled to Broadway, where the theater community is less of a tribe than it used to be. Producers find themselves further apart from their actors, musicians, and crews. Could it be on Broadway there is a sense that Joe worker is no a longer family who needs to support himself, but merely a number like so many corporate office workers across the country?

Such concerns seemed far from the minds of those at Splash, who were enjoying the videos and midnight show. These are people who show up on Monday nights to escape the cares of the outside world, and last night was no exception. The most popular clips seemed to be performances from Jersey Boys, Sweet Charity and Wicked, where one guy even climbed on top a friend's shoulders while singing along to "Defying Gravity."

"There are people who really get into it," Bantay says with a smile, "One time there was a guy who came with a flashlight that had a green gel over it, and stood on the table while that number was playing."

Yet when the live show "Curtain Call" with Scott Nevins began at midnight, the strike was back on minds as Nevins made it into comedy fodder.

"We're the only people not on strike in showbiz tonight!" Nevins cracked to the audience.

Nevins had just come from his show at the Laurie Beechman Theater, where he also worked jokes about the strike into his performance there. The guest performer of the evening was vocalist Julie Garnye.

Though many theater professionals like Bantay are not picking sides and just want there to be a resolution, others have their own opinions. One assistant stage manager in attendance, who works on a long-running off-Broadway show and wishes to remain anonymous, makes it clear her sympathies are with those on strike.

"They keep bringing up paying all this money for having someone move a piano," says the assistant stage manager, "Yet they are getting people how know how to move a piano, without having to pay for it being tuned up again if someone else were to move it. More importantly, for that one rare piano occurrence you are getting people who know how to work fly rails, trap doors, and move scenery. It is not as simple as just pushing out scenery. It is becoming a science. If a trap is not set right, someone could die. If we take away from that guy moving the piano, we are also taking away from the guy that checks the trap door."

The anonymous theater professional also goes on to state that it is the "fat cats on top" who will get richer by cutting union wages, not actors, tech people, or other workers.

One thing is for certain. Off-Broadway shows are certainly benefiting from the strike.

"This has given us a lot of business. I am sure it will even result in an extended run for us."

Andy Zeffer is an avid theater fan and has written for numerous publications. He is also the author of the Lambda Award nominated novel "Going Down in La-La Land." www.andyzeffer.com