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'DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL'

THEATER REVIEW New York Times| 'DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL'
Green Menace Is Back, Just in Time for Holidays
By NEIL GENZLINGER
Patrick Page, it appears, is out of stamps. When you’re reprising a seasonal role, and half of your audience hasn’t yet celebrated a 10th birthday, you’re supposed to be mailing it in, as they say. But Mr. Page, in his second year as the title crab face in “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical” at the St. James Theater on Broadway, is delivering an extraordinary performance.

The young ’uns in the crowd might not appreciate just how good it is, but their accompanying adults certainly will. It’s lucky for them that Mr. Page has brought his A game, because this adaptation, unlike, say, a Pixar movie, doesn’t stuff itself with quick grown-up jokes and references.

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Dressers in Wardrobe Union Fear Loss of Health Insurance Due to Strike

Dressers in Wardrobe Union Fear Loss of Health Insurance Due to Strike
By Kenneth Jones
21 Nov 2007


Like those in their sister unions who have been impacted by the stagehands strike, Broadway dressers, stitchers, launderers and others of Theatrical Wardrobe Union Local 764 are not immune to feeling anxious.

In a scenario echoed from union to union, wardrobe people are nervously counting up their work weeks and salaries to see if lost work since the strike's Nov. 10 start will prevent them from making the minimum work weeks or salary required to give them an essential benefit — health insurance.

Emergency strike pay of $400 a week began Nov. 15 (as it did for other union folk, like those in Actors' Equity), but members of Local 764 told Playbill.com some wardrobe people in the 1,000-person union are at great risk of losing their insurance — and insurance for their spouses and kids — in 2008.

"I know people who may not make minimum [due to the strike]," said one Local 764 I.A.T.S.E. member, who asked not to be named.

Rules prevent members from paying directly into health insurance. They must work to be insured.

Members said the wardrobe union leadership told them there might be some employment opportunities in other areas that could fill in the work gaps — so members could reach toward making minimum for insurance.

However, members have been worrying about a worst-case scenario: a strike that continues for many weeks. Day work or pick-up work won't be able to solve the lost weeks in that case, members say.

"I know some people are upset now, but if it lasts, there will be a bloodbath," one member said.

If the strike is protracted, members say they expect many stories of dressers and others desperately scrambling to raise thousands of dollars to pay for their own (or their families') insurance, through COBRA, the law which allows the formerly insured to pay for the continuation of lapsed insurance due to job loss.

According to Local One documents, in order to have coverage for yourself and one eligible dependent in 2008, a wardrobe worker must earn $40,000 in covered employment in 2007. In order to have family coverage in 2008, you must earn $55,000 in covered employment in 2007.

In theory, a wardrobe person may end up being covered but face the grim fact that their kids are not, a union member told Playbill.com.

"I thank my lucky stars I am working on this show," said one wardrobe person working in a still-running Broadway show. She said some who have made their minimum and are working in running shows have been known in recent days to give up a portion of their hours to strike-stricken wardrobe people.

The outside work options for stranded wardrobe people are further reduced at the moment due to the current Writers Guild strike, affecting TV and movie work; filming has shut down.

At the time of the Broadway strike, there were about 400 wardrobe people working on Broadway, including those who continued working the eight Broadway shows that were not affected by the strike.

The strike is also hurting wardrobe workers of the eight currently running Broadway shows — Mauritius, Xanadu, Pygmalion, The Ritz, Cymbeline, …Spelling Bee, Young Frankenstein and Mary Poppins tickets. Some workers' regular income on those shows was often supplemented by day work on other shows. Unlike actors, wardrobe people can cross over into others shows.

Unlike other unions, there is no Local 764 Strike Fund, but it's getting support from its parent, I.A.T.S.E., so the unemployment-level weekly strike pay of $400/week is not necessarily in danger.

In seven weeks, traditional unemployment will kick in if the strike lasts that long.

Stagehands Blame Strike on Theater Management

Stagehands Blame Strike on Theater Management
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By JOHN HOLUSHA
Published: November 11, 2007
Striking Broadway stagehands accused theater owners and producers this afternoon of provoking the walkout that shut down 27 productions in order to unilaterally impose new work rules that would lead to unsafe conditions in theaters.

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Strike Dampens the Moods of Many Tourists (November 11, 2007)

City Room Blog
The latest news and reader discussions from around the five boroughs and the region.

Go to City Room » Saying that the owners and producers were insulting workers by exaggerating their incomes and using terms like “featherbedding” in describing staffing levels, James J. Claffey Jr., the president of Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, said no new talks would be scheduled until managers treat workers with respect.

His statement appeared to represent a hardening of attitude on the part of the union, which had never before struck in its 121-year history. He said that if the management proposals that were on the table when the talks broke off are still there at the next negotiation meeting, “we won’t go back.”

“We are being attacked,” Mr. Claffey said at a news conference of the management proposals. “We worked for months to make a deal,” he said “We truly regret that there is no show.”

The leaders of the musicians and actors union said they stood behind the stagehands against what Mr. Claffey said was an effort to reduce the middle-class status of theatrical workers.

He said the increasingly elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway had added to the burden of stagehands because they used larger, heavier scenery and equipment. The manning levels in previous agreements, which have been criticized as excessive, “is for our protection.”

“If there is a four-person piece that needs to be moved, they want you to do it with three,” Mr. Claffey said of the producers and theater owners.

He said that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg had been in touch with union officials to offer his help with the negotiations, but that they had “respectfully declined” his offer. Mr. Claffey said the impasse appeared to have been generated by a group of theater owners and producers who want to restructure the economics of Broadway in one negotiation.

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My review of the New Radio City Christmas Show 2007 NYC

My review of the New Radio City Christmas Show
Posted On: 11/7/07 at 05:24 PM


It is the 75th anniversary of Radio City Music Hall and to celebrate, the Christmas show has been dusted off, revamped and updated. In the past, the show was quite disjointed hopping from one Christmas tradition to another without much thought. One moment there are ice skaters and then the Nutcracker and elves and suddenly the audience is whacked on the head with a baby Jesus. This year though they figured out a way to make it all go together. Of course the classics are still there. The Rockettes still look great and their precision is most evident during the Parade of the Toy Soldiers. It's a real crowd pleaser and will always be in the show. One new scene that was particularly good was New York at Christmas. Although the scene has been part of past productions, the addition of a double decker bus with all of the Rockettes riding on it is really great. The stage has a humongous LCD screen that serves as backdrop for almost all of the scenes. As the bus "drives" around the stage the screen shows, with remarkable accuracy, the city streets from Radio City to Central Park. It looks real and it's hard to believe that it is only computer generated. Amazing.

Another new element in this year's show is the addition of two young boys questioning the existence of Santa Claus. By putting them in the show, it allows a real segue from scene to scene. The double decker bus ends it's tour at a city corner where Santa is ringing his donation bell when the boys ask him how he is in so many places at once. Cue: Here Comes Santa Claus. Although the number has been in past productions, now we have a reason for it. Then Santa takes them to the North Pole again giving a reason for the transition.

The Living nativity is still in the show although greatly (and thankfully) shortened. In past shows it always seemed like an afterthought to have any explanation of the real meaning of Christmas. Wisely, the two young boys are now shown in their living room reading the Christmas Story as the Nativity scene comes to life in the background. Gone is the overpowering voice over booming about the importance of Jesus Christ. Now we have the simple voice of a young child gently reading the story to his little brother.

The Radio City Christmas Show has always been a bit over the top trying to stuff in every Christmas cliche as possible. This year, it seems that they have acknowledged the level of X-treme X-mas and accepted it. The show even has a few very moving moments and the cast is great. Charles Edward Hall makes a a great Santa Claus as usual. The ensemble actually sings this year instead of lip syncing and the whole cast gets a well-deserved curtain call for the first time. If you have not seen the Christmas show in a few years, this is the year to do it. And if it's your first time to see it, you won't be disappointed. It gets you in the mood and ready for the whole holiday season. Merry Christmas!

Jersey Boys Theater Tickets discount code

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