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Talks to end the nine-day Broadway stagehands' strike abruptly broke off last night - and producers declared the shows would not go on at least until the end of the Thanksgiving weekend, normally the Great White Way's second-biggest moneymaker.

"Talks have broken off. Producers informed Local One [of the stagehands union] that what Local One offered was not enough, and then the producers left," said union spokesman Bruce Cohen.

The League of American Theatres and Producers then promptly announced theaters would remain dark through Nov. 25, knocking out a potential $30 million in income.

"This is a disaster," said one theater source. "We have no idea where we're headed."

An agitated attorney with the producers, Bernard Plum, stomped out, brushing off queries about what went wrong.

"I'm leaving, so you can draw your own conclusion," he said.

No new talks were scheduled.

"We presented a comprehensive proposal that responded to the union's concerns about loss of jobs and earnings, and attempted to address our need for some flexibilities in running our business," Charlotte St. Martin, the executive director of the LATP, said in a statement.

"The union rejected our effort to compromise and continues to require us to hire more people than we need."

Sources close to the producers said a rift between Tom Short, head of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and James Claffey, head of Local One, which falls under the international's umbrella, led to the impasse.

One source said Short and Robert Johnson, a lawyer from Disney negotiating for the producers, were confident they had reached a pact that would be acceptable to the union. But Claffey overruled their deal, the source said.

"Claffey is in the hot seat," said a veteran Broadway producer.

The producers are now counting on anger from the Local One rank and file and from unions for musicians and actors to pressure Claffey to fold.

When the strike began, officials on both sides said key issues included wages and the "load-in," in which the set is placed on stage during preparations for a show.

Current rules require that a stagehand hired for part of the load-in must be employed for the show's full run. Producers want the practice to end.

Stagehands earn an average of $150,000 a year. Their work ranges from moving props to running the soundboard and focusing spotlights on the stars. If they work more than eight hours a day, they earn bonuses instead of overtime.

"These jobs are usually passed on from father to son. A lot of the skills can be learned on the job," said a veteran stagehand.

"There are highly technically trained people, and then there are the guys that change lights - furniture-moving type of guys."

The Thanksgiving weekend is second only to the week between Christmas and New Year's in bringing big bucks to Broadway.

The strike affects 27 plays and musicals, including some of Broadway's biggest hits, such as "Wicked," "Jersey Boys," "The Phantom of the Opera," "The Lion King" and "Mamma Mia!" Many shows top more than $1 million for the week.

But the walkout is also hitting businesses that serve the theater crowd.

"This is absolutely devastating," said Angus McIndoe, the owner of a restaurant next to the St. James Theatre, where "The Grinch" was playing. "We lost $20,000 last week and now we're going to lose another $20,000 or more this week."
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The Broadway strike took its first steps toward a grand finale yesterday, with both sides meeting with the hopes of raising the curtains on 27 shuttered shows before the holiday season.

Tense representatives for both the stagehands union and for the producers met at the Westin New York Hotel in Times Square at 10 a.m. for a round of negotiations that sources expect to wrap up by the end of the weekend.

The talks - which included Disney's top labor negotiator Robert Johnson - took place behind closed doors.

Participants declined comment as they entered and exited the room throughout the day.

The strike - which is costing the city millions - erupted Nov. 11 when stagehands walked off the job in the wake of failed labor talks.
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