It's "Turkey Lurkey" time. But by the time you read this, I'll be on the ground in London for my traditional English Thanksgiving.
No, the British don't actually observe our uniquely American holiday. But it tends to be my own personal tradition as I travel to London most years to enjoy a nice four day weekend. And this just happens to be one of them.
But since you might be itching to see a Broadway show this holiday weekend, here's the full schedule of what's playing when. Note that the only shows performing on this Thanksgiving Day are A Life In The Theatre, A Little Night Music, American Idiot, Chicago, Elf, In The Heights, Promises Promises (bet they'll be singing "Turkey Lurkey Time" with bawdy abandon!), The Phantom Of The Opera, The Scottsboro Boys and West Side Story.
Also note that the following Broadway shows will be featured as part of Macy's 84th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade: American Idiot, Memphis, Million Dollar Quartet and Elf. Each certainly captures varying aspects of the American experience to be sure, but thanks to Macy's sponsorship of Elf, it's a given that it would be featured in the parade. As a bonus to Broadway fans, the beautiful and brilliant Betty Buckley will also participate in this year's parade, which will be broadcast on NBC beginning at 9 a.m. EST today.
No matter where you are this Thanksgiving, and regardless of your nationality, please accept my deepest appreciation for making Steve On Broadway (SOB) one of your regular theatre stops. I can't thank you enough for your candid feedback and comments. I'm especially grateful to so many of you for your friendship.
Happy Thanksgiving!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post.
Labels: Broadway, Broadway Schedule, Holiday, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thank You, Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving!As we celebrate the proud American tradition that was first observed in 1621 when English settlers in Plymouth (in what is now Massachusetts) gave thanks for their harvest, I'd like to offer my Happy Thanksgiving greeting.
In looking back over the past year, which has been very disconcerting economically, to say the least, my sincere appreciation goes to my family and friends for your unconditional love. As I hope anyone who knows me personally appreciates, my loved ones mean the world to me. To those who have been impacted by this recession, please never lose sight of the fact that we'll never forget about you or leave you behind -- we'll continue trying to help you in any way we can.
I'm also using this Thanksgiving to harken back to what I stated in this space back in 2006:
I'm particularly grateful to live in a nation where freedom of speech enables us to share our points of view with each other. Thankfully, dissent is alive and well, and often finds its roots in the arts.
Theatre contributes tremendously to the national discourse, and whether we agree or disagree with its messages, we should cherish and never take for granted the critical role theatre traditionally plays in often shaping and leading the discussion.
Please accept my best wishes for a very Happy Thanksgiving!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade route information.Labels: Economy, Freedom Of Speech, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Recession, Special Messages, Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving: La Vie En LondonHappy Thanksgiving!
Rather than turkey this Thanksgiving, I'm in London where I'll enjoy a Little Sparrow this evening.
But rather than consuming a meal of the diminutive bird, I'll be in the audience for
Donmar Warehouse's limited West End transfer of
Pam Gems'
Piaf. While I was disappointed in "
La Vie En Rose" -- the disjointed biopic on the life of the "Little Sparrow"
Edith Piaf -- I have long been mesmerized by the late French icon's unique song stylings.
Making the
Jamie Lloyd-helmed
Piaf particularly attractive, apart from the West End Whingers' enthusiastic
endorsment, is that the breathtaking little dynamo
Elena Roger is portraying the singer. I had the great fortune and pleasure of seeing Roger in the recent West End revival of
Evita. If she's even half as wonderful
as she was as Eva Peron, I know I'll have a very magical night at the theatre.
And lest you think that I have completely forsaken a traditional Thanksgiving, rest assured that the Love Of My Life and I will be joining American friends Daniel and Donna from Kentucky and Mary Ann from California, albeit for a
traditional English champagne tea this afternoon at
Claridge's. We'll certainly be counting our blessings.
And as we do so, I'll also be giving thanks for the friendships of so many of you who are reading Steve On Broadway (SOB). Thank you for joining me here.
Happy Thanksgiving!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Edith Piaf, Elena Roger, Evita, Jamie Lloyd, La Vie En Rose, Pam Gems, Piaf, Special Messages, Thanksgiving, West End Whingers
Strike: Economic Impact To Big Apple Overblown?Depending upon whom you're listening to, the economic impact to
New York City for each day of the Broadway stagehands strike has varied from a lowball number of
$5 million (Crain's) to a whopping
$20 million (source:
Times Square Alliance).
Could it be that the real impact is considerably
lower?
According to NY1, the city comptroller's office puts the impact way down around the $2 million mark and adds:
Some of the lost theatre-related business will be redirected to spending elsewhere.
All this leads me to ask, "Are out-of-towners abruptly cancelling their New York City trips because of
Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (I.A.T.S.E.) strike against
The League of American Theatres and Producers?"
This morning's edition of
New York's Daily News certainly asserts that they are:
The Broadway theater strike has found its latest victim -- travelers on JetBlue airlines have begun canceling flights to New York.
"We've seen a slight increase in cancellations [of flights to New York] over the last week," said JetBlue spokeswoman Alison Eshelman.
Eshelman said the airline doesn't ask customers why they are canceling a flight, but the five-day strike that has shut down more than two dozen of Broadway's most popular shows apparently has travelers rethinking their plans.
However, it should be
heavily emphasized that the key word here is "slight."
I put my own
earlier conjecture to the test to see whether travelers from afar are even giving a second thought to their travel plans given the strike (by the way, if you're
not keeping up with London's
West End Whingers on their Gotham spree, you're missing some truly entertaining, witty writing).
And guess what? I was wrong!
Yours truly has personally contacted 28 different travel agencies across the United States and found that while they were closely monitoring the strike, not a single one of their customers had cancelled planned visits to New York.
Typical was the response I received from one travel agent in Jacksonville, Florida, whose client not only had tickets for
Mamma Mia! over Thanksgiving, but also planned to see the
Radio City Christmas Spectacular:
They are still planning on traveling to New York City even if the show they have tickets for is cancelled.
Another Florida agent told me:
We have clients (still) heading to New York for Thanksgiving. However, they are aware of the strike and know the ramifications of going when they are going.
One agent in High Point, North Carolina informed me:
We have people going on the 27th. Their thing is to see the Rockettes and the lighting of the Christmas tree. They do have tickets to Hairspray and Wicked. As of right now there are no plans to cancel.
An agent from Forest Lake, Minnesota shared with me:
We did just have a small group come back this weekend and they were blacked out on their Saturday night performance. They did receive a refund from the theatre and they readjusted their plans -– not hard in New York City.
She certainly has an excellent point.
Still another agent, this one from Carmel, Indiana, minimized Broadway altogether when referring to customers headed for the Big Apple:
We do have people going to New York over Thanksgiving. However, none of them were planning on seeing a show, nor has anyone cancelled. Most of our clients are going for shopping the day after Thanksgiving.
So while people might be disappointed that their shows are dark, tourists largely appear to be moving along with their New York travel plans and moving beyond Broadway. Perhaps they're thinking, "Who needs it?"
Are you listening members of The League?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, League of American Theatres and Producers, Local One, Lockout, Stagehands, Strike, Thanksgiving, travel agents
