Broadway comes back to life after 19-day strike

NEW YORK -- Broadway came back to life Thursday as stage-starved fans lined up in the cold for tickets and theaters reopened their doors following a 19-day stagehands strike that took a big toll on the local economy.

The mood was ecstatic all around the theater district. Tourists, actors, stagehands, restaurants, musicians, hot dog vendors -- basically anyone remotely affected by Broadway -- were all thrilled about the return of musicals and plays.

"I never thought I'd have the opportunity to see a Broadway show! And the price is right," Canadian tourist Susie Biamonte said as she waited for steeply discounted $26.50 tickets to "Chicago" -- reopening Thursday with a new cast that included two stars from "The Sopranos."

The strike inflicted serious harm on Broadway during one of the best times of the year, when the city is teeming with tourists and Christmas shoppers. Officials estimated that the city lost about $38 million because of the strike.

The end of the walkout meant a scramble for new opening nights for shows that were in previews when the strike hit.

Popular musicals such as "Wicked," "Jersey Boys," "Mamma Mia!" and "The Lion King" were among the more than two dozen shows that were shut down during the lucrative Thanksgiving holiday week. These big hits regularly gross more than $1 million each week this time of year.

Most plays and musicals that were shut down during the walkout were expected to be up and running Thursday evening, even if the cast and crew were a little rusty after a nearly three-week layoff. "Chicago" held a last-minute afternoon rehearsal to work out some kinks before going back on with a new cast that included "Sopranos" actors Aida Turturro and Vincent Pastore. By midday Thursday, the show was sold out and its discount ticket offer was extended to the Sunday matinee.

"There's a lot of energy," said Pastore, perhaps best known for playing Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on HBO's mob show. "I want to go back to work."

Michael Van Praagh, a stagehand for 34 years who was returning to work on Tom Stoppard's "Rock 'n' Roll," said the settlement was a sign "that we're finally getting the respect we deserve on Broadway."