New York
Nearly every musical on Broadway shut down for four days this week after entire orchestras walked out on strike. Broadway producers had wanted to cut costs by reducing the minimum number of musicians required for big shows. The musicians’ union said no, and actors and stagehands joined them on the picket lines. All but one of Broadway’s 19 musicals went dark—including Hairspray, The Producers, and The Lion King. The strike ended with a compromise: All shows in major theaters will have to feature live music with at least 18 musicians, down from a minimum of 24. The dispute cost the city millions, and upset thousands of ticket holders. Sharan Mandell, a Pennsylvania teacher, was at a restaurant when she heard Aida had been canceled. “Our dinner was ruined,” she said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
The biggest climate records in the last yearIn Depth The number of records set in the past year is a stark reminder of the destructiveness of climate change
-
'The future of abortion access in many states may come down to who has the final say'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPBSpeed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
