NEW YORK, March 11 (UPI) -- After round-the-clock negotiations, the curtains will rise Tuesday on Broadway.
Eighteen musicals were scheduled to reopen after a four-day musicians' strike supported by actors and stage hands was ended by a new contract settlement reached in negotiations initiated by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.
Bloomberg summoned representatives of Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians, representing the 325 strikers, and the League of American Theaters and Producers to the mayor's residence, Gracie Mansion, Monday night to meet with mediator Frank J. Macchiarola until they reached a settlement.
Officials said the strike had been costing the city an estimated $7 million a day.
Before noon both sides had agreed on a compromise whereby the musicians will reduce their minimum numbers mandated for the past 50 years for Broadway's 11 largest theaters from 24 to 26 down to 18 or 19. The theater owners and producers had demanded that the number be reduced to 15 in any new contract to eliminate what they insisted was union featherbedding.
The musical scores prepared by composers and orchestrators for Broadway musicals often require less than 24 musicians, but theater owners and producers have had to hire that many under the old contract, even if they did not perform.
Smaller Broadway theaters were required to hire as few as three musicians, a mandate that will not be changed.
In a statement, the League said: "This is a good deal for Broadway, for theatergoers, and for New York. The incomparable live music experience that is Broadway will continue to excite audiences."
Within hours after the settlement was announced, theater box offices were reopened for the first time since the strike began last Friday, and lines formed to buy tickets.
The only musical that had remained opened during the strike was "Cabaret," whose producers had a separate contract with the union because the show is performed in a former nightclub, Studio 54, rather than a theater.
Bloomberg was exultant when informed of the settlement, praising the union and theater management for having taken up the city's mediation offer.
"I was determined that they reach an agreement so Broadway could come back to life," the mayor said. "The strike was causing a severe economic impact on the city still recovering from the terrible tragedy of the Sept. 11 attack, financial hardships for those employed in this and related industries, and disappointment for theater-goers from around the world."
The nine straight plays currently on Broadway remained open throughout the strike and reported an increase in ticket sales over the weekend.
The last work stoppage on Broadway due to a strike occurred in 1975 and lasted 25 days. The last time theaters were closed were on Sept. 11 and 12, 2001, in the wake of the World Trade Center terrorist attack.
According to the theater league, Broadway shows are responsible for $4.5 billion annually in economic activity and 6,000 jobs. The strike cost musicians about $250,000 in salaries, actors $750,000, and stagehands $150,000, according to league estimates.
