Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!- Page 3
Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
loholly
Swing Joined: 10/29/07
#50re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 1:11pm
Again, we seem to forget the people that come to these shows, pay everyone's rent and without the audience, what's the point?
I agree that this is bad timing. I understand their need to strike, but with the writers on strike, now broadway stagehands...how is average public guy feeling when they pay 120+ a ticket and then can't see the show?
I don't understand why they all stopped talking to resolve their issues? Can someone explain that one?
#51re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 1:19pm
Look, I'm coming from California to NY. This is my second time. And if I had tickets lined up for Wicked, The Jersey Boys, RENT, you name it, I would be sorely disappointed too. Hell, I came out in March to see Journey's End, and I saw it FULL TICKET PRICE, 2nd row. But I also come from a long pedigree of people who shrug things off and say "oh well" -- it's not like New York isn't the most exciting city in the world. Go see the Rockettes if you need a glitzy glam show! Or something off Broadway. I certainly hope that the actors and everything behind the scenes are still getting paid because I can't imagine going through a holiday season without money to your name, let alone a little going around change.
Updated On: 11/10/07 at 01:19 PM
#52re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 2:05pm
So many of you are saying there is more to see in New York City, but I truly feel bad for the tourists!
If I was from say Kansas or somewhere far away and loved theater more than anything and spent a lot of money on plane tickets, hotel ect and had tickets to 5-6 shows for my first week ever in New York City (which I know happens) I would be pretty disappointed. As many have said, there are a lot of people (and many on this board) who plan trips SOLELY to see Broadway shows.
#53re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 2:07pm
They had little choice. The League started throwing back offers that were ridiculous. Basically, nonsense. I'm afraid this is politics. If they waited until January, when everything is slow, the Producers would just ignore their requests. It's about leverage. Now is when the stagehands have to work their hardest. Why put in all of that effort when you know you have nothing left for you the beginning of the year? Many will get laid off anyways because of the lack of new shows.
There is not a good time to strike. Had the League not forced the Union workers to work under an unsigned agreement, we probably wouldn't be seeing picket signs.
Again, the League had already started to eliminate jobs without an agreement which was in violation of the previous agreement they had with the Union. So there was no contract basically. To continue to work with no contract is silly. Both sides have to compromise. No where have I seen that the League has offered compensation for those who will be further burdened by more work for not more pay.
It is terrible because yes, some people saved all year to come to New York to see certain shows. If it was that important though, you should read the newspapers of the place you want to visit. If you plan your vacation when you are told there will be a snowstorm, than your are stuck but than, you really knew better right? Buying tickets when you know a strike is pending is a gamble, unfortunately, some of you lost. Just bad luck.
I will visit New York again, when I know I can see a show that I like. I will not come when there is little doubt a strike will happen. Just looking at ticket sales over the last two weeks obviously, I'm not the only one who felt this was not a good time to visit New York for a Broadway show at any of the warned about Theatres. I wish more people knew about this website because it would have saved some people a lot of money. If they listened to us.
#54re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 2:29pmUnfortunately, Broadway is not as important a story as the writers' strike is. I have been hearing about that strike for a month or so. Had this strike been covered like the writers' strike has been, people may have been prepared for the stagehands' strike. I just watched a report on CNN and they were showing a child crying because he couldn't see "How the Grinch..." and talked about how sorry they were for the children and people who flew in and spent money on a hotel. Yes, I do feel sorry for those people, but if the media would have put it out there much earlier a lot of people may have been a bit more prepared. You don't have to hop a plane, bus or train to see "Desperate Housewives". But it is Hollywood. The writers' strike was being talked about on my local news here in Denver a while before it happened. And it was all over entertainment news. Just my thoughs...again.
Just give the world Love.
#55re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 2:38pm
It's one of my pet peeves too! D*mn CNN! At least Playbill stayed on top of it and really the NY Times kept posting statements from both sides. If this ends before Thanksgiving or Christmas, than all is not lost.
The Parents, being one, can take their children to see a different show and then rent the Grinch on Video. One of life's lesson we have to learn sooner or later right?
#56re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 2:38pm
Well, Broadway is the #1 tourist attraction in NYC, and they DO drive 65% of ticket sales, so I think a little respect for them is in order. Personally, if I set aside $2500 to go to NYC and see some shows, I would be DEVASTATED by the strike. I also would not be able to return anytime soon.
The actors are choosing to side with the stage hands, as are the other unions. Yes, it is too bad for them (and there really is not need to rate whose suffering most), but my heart goes out to the tourists. This whole thing stirkes me as very sad.
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#57re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 2:40pmI have Playbill radio on and they are giving updates in between sets of songs.
Just give the world Love.
#58re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 3:41pm
Thank you PAB for your post.
I think oftentimes people who live in the city take forgranted all of the opportunity they have to see shows whenever they wish to, rush shows, do TKTS, etc and bash folks who come from out of town. Those of us from other cities (live theatre fans, NOT tourists) view NYC as a second home,a companion and do not take lightly such things as a strike.
We also utilize the whole city, know it like the back of our hand, and explore it like crazy when we arent in a theatre.We support everyone involved in a production and our heart goes out to the stagehands and wish for a speedy resolution.
That being said, the disappointment and financial hardship is real on both ends, as I scrimp and save to get to NYC a few times a year and if a strike ever happened when I was there I would be heart-broken. Anyone who loves theatre, like weon these boards do, knows how it nurtures and sustains us. Such a blow, is tremendous to those not living in the area. In the end, everyone gets hurt.
Both can exist simultaneously, meaning we can support the stagehands and be sad for not seeing our shows.
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MovieGuy1031
Broadway Star Joined: 11/13/06
#59re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 3:48pm
Thank you, pab.
I'm from Ohio, and will be driving 10 hours next Friday to NYC for a trip that i've had planned around "The Little Mermaid" since May. Though, yes, i've since found many other shows to build around that, 4 of which will still be running should the strike still be in effect, I was looking VERY forward to seeing my favorite Disney movie translated to the stage. I paid full price for every ticket to every show that I will be attending in the coming weekend... and I take offense that, because I'm upset that I won't be able to see Cyrano and Mermaid, many of you assume I am just ignorant to the goings-on and should just suck it up and find something else to do.
I came for theatre - for these six SPECIFIC shows. If the Saturday doesn't work out and the strike is still in effect, i'll hopefully be able to pick up tickets to Cymbeline and a play off-broadway... but they're not what I had planned to see since MAY.
And definitely not what I had driven 10 hours to see.
"The nice thing about the rain is that it always stops... eventually."
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#60re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 3:55pm
How stupid are some people on here?
Many people take trips to New York to get to Broadway shows.
Ive been over from the UK many times to see shows and if i had traveled over and all the shows i wanted to see were shut i would be pissed off.
Its all well and good saying "go and see the rest of NY" but ive seen NY many a time.
It is a huge blow for tourists and of course for NY business who are also going to be affected etc.
If you came over to the UK for a planned trip to see several shows in the UK you would be annoyed as hell
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#61re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 4:11pm
exactly songanddanceman2 I live in KY and go to NYC about 3 to 4 times a year mostly just to see shows. I'm actually going the day after Christmas with a friend. If we can't see shows we'll find something to do but it is a bit of a disappointment since I can't get up to the city often and when I do I want to see shows. I've seen the rest of NYC so many times. But I do enjoy off broadway so if, God Forbid, the strike goes on til after Christmas, we'll find something to see and do...but I can't say it's not a disappointment.
I feel more for the people out of work or suffering because of this strike and hope that a deal can be struck swiftly. Everyone loses when there's a strike *sighs*
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#62The Corn tastes better in Iowa!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 4:12pmYes but the fact of the matter is that the corn sucks in New York. THAT'S why the woman from Iowa's dissapointed.
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MargoChanning
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/5/04
#63re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 4:14pmAbsolutely. I spent months planning my last trip to London when I saw 8 shows I had very specifically chosen based on reviews, word of mouth etc.... I would have been very pissed had any of them been cancelled for any reason (as it was, I was disappointed when the star of one of the shows was out the night I went to see her show -- she was the main reason I wanted to see it to begin with).
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#64re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 4:17pm
songand dance, I understand what you are saying. But i guess the reality is that there is nothing we as theatergoers or tourists can do about it except be really upset and then find something else to do. At least people are getting refunds. That may not be much of a consolation for some but when you can't control the situation...well, I guess you make lemonade out of lemons.
Also...just an aside that is annoying me....CNN is looping their news and the strike pops up about every hour. They are using footage of marquees from when Fosse, Annie Get your Gun and Le Mz (pre-revival) were open. They seem to have no more recent footage to show.
Just give the world Love.
#65re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 4:26pmHow very sad. I sure wish I could walk out of my job and strike for better things, like money, and not be fired. Unions are just a waste of time. In theory they are a good idea, but all they really is give people big heads. I've known so many people in unions, and most states have labor laws that would never require a union, yet they are still around to raise money and make people feel "protected". I went to NY for my first time in Sept. I did the tourist things and saw three broadway shows. If I had gone there and the shows were cancelled I would have been very upset. I understand that the stagehands may feel wronged, but is a strike the only way to get what they want? Who are the real losers here? The same people who basically keep them employed (the money paying tourists) are the ones being shat on.
DownstageRight2
Swing Joined: 11/8/07
#66re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 4:29pmThe stagehands have never, repeat, NEVER in their 120 plus year history felt the need to strike until now. Do you honestly think that they would have made that decision lightly?
#67re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 4:30pm
I'm sure it's the not the same stagehands that were there 120 years ago, thus it's just stagehands wanting $$$.
Updated On: 11/10/07 at 04:30 PM
#68re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 4:30pm
Pab said it best !!!
Being from Greece, I have to plan my trips months in advance, book my full-price tickets way ahead, make my plans around to see a specific show or performer etc. So, if I arrive there after months of daydreaming and find out that I can't see the shows I wanted, I should just do something else and shut up, JUST BECAUSE I DON'T LIVE IN NYC ?????
Really, some people here forget that New York EXISTS thanks to tourism !!! Tourist money pays for better schools, better hospitals, a better city and creates thousands of jobs ! Coming from a country that also relies heavily on tourism, I know, that, sometimes tourists can be annoying and silly. But their money makes our lives better, so we should be thankful and forgiving !
Really, have all those people who bash and trash tourists, spent a minute thinking what NYC would be like, if all those annoying tourists just stopped visiting ? It would be a disaster, that NYC would never recover from ! And don't get me started on Broadway, it would simply cease to exist !
I always say that I have encountered the most wonderful and helpful people in NYC ! Posts on different boards, make me wonder if I have just been lucky and met only those few that like tourists !
End of rant 
Updated On: 11/10/07 at 04:30 PM
MaronaDavies
Featured Actor Joined: 3/17/06
#69re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 4:41pm
I'm aware that tourists put a lot of time and money into coming to the city, they create a lot of jobs for people, and I'm sure that all New Yorkers appreciate that.
Again, though...go to Paris when there's a strike on and the city is shut down. Go to London or Rome. They've got lots of tourists too. And they will all tell you that the priorities rest with the people who are on strike. They're not going to apologize because you might not get to see the Eiffel Tower observation deck that day.
From what I understand, the other unions may be helping out their people out of their strike funds, but it might be a percentage, not the entire week's salary. And the League sure as hell isn't paying any of them anything. So we're going to have a lot of actors, wardrobe people, ushers, bar staff, etc. going into the holidays missing at least some of their salary. Maybe they won't be able to afford to fly home to see *their* families or take vacations at all. Or more seriously, maybe they're going to have trouble covering next month's rent and groceries. My heart goes out to them, a lot more than it does to tourists who are disappointed.
#70re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 4:55pm
And I agree with PAB. But I can remember driving 12 plus hours to Disney World in the late 80's. I had my HEART set on riding Space Mountain. It was the really popular ride and my lover at the time knew how much I wanted to go and ride it. So off 4 of us went. Got there and while waiting to ride Pirates of the Carribean, I overheard someone say that Space Mountain was closed for renovations. I was more than crushed. I had just driven for 12 hours to ride THAT ride! But I walked over to it, looked at it, got upset for a minute and decided that if I stayed upset, it would ruin the rest of my time there. The trip was a Birthday gift and even though I didn't get to ride Space Mountain I had a very good time. Just kinda making a comparison.
Just give the world Love.
Updated On: 11/10/07 at 04:55 PM
Bwayfan4
Broadway Star Joined: 10/11/06
#71re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 5:41pm
uncageg, I just had a National Lampoon's Walley World vacation moment after reading your post....
Seriously, I think those of us over 21 just need to go out and have a beer...there's a strike and there's nothing we can do about it bu sit around and whine. Does it suck? Yes. For everyone? Yes. Can we do anything about it? No.
Can you reschedule your tickets / trip? I hope so. If the answer to the previous question was "no", can you go do something else while in the city or God forbid see an off-Broadway show? Yes.
Are you thoroughly angry that you can't see your shows? Sure. But can you get over it and TRY to make the best of a situation? I sure hope so.
So can we PLEASE stop whining about the strike YET???? It's pointless to sit around, and waste energy complaining about something that we have no control over.
(PS...Yes, I too had tickets for today but do you see me whining about the strike? No...I simply rescheduled my trip and got new tickets...)
#72re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 5:49pmBWayFan...not everyone can reschedule their trips. Not everyone is as lucky as you. Are there things to do in NY other than broadway? YES! The place is beautiful. But the fact of the matter is--most Broadway shows are cancelled because stagehands refuse to go to work. That's the bottom line. Not because of some major power outtage. Because people didn't go to work today. Sad.
#73re: Who is REALLY affected by the strike? Oh, those POOR tourists!
Posted: 11/10/07 at 5:54pmnot nearly as sad as your unending ignorance monkey boy.
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