"You'll be swell, you'll be great.
Gonna have the whole world on a plate.
Startin' here, startin now',
Honey, everything's coming up roses."
-Ethel Merman, "Everything's Coming Up Roses"

The late Ethel Merman, the First Lady of Broadway, would be proud.

Broadway theater owner/producers and the stagehands' union have reached a tentative agreement, ending a costly, 19-day strike which had kept more than two dozen shows dark in the most-represented, live, dramatic performance district in the world. Details of the tentative contract were not disclosed, The Associated Press reported.
Light the lights

Theater district officers -- and those very same, formerly-idled stagehands -- were now racing to re-open shows. The period from Thanksgiving to Christmas is typically a very strong period for Broadway, with visitors to the city that never sleeps frequently combining holiday shopping with a Broadway show, among other activities.

Official hoped to open most plays and musicals as soon as Thursday night, according to news reports.

The City of New York estimates it lost about $2 million per day in tourist revenue during the strike. Some of those tourist dollars will be recovered when people reschedule a canceled holiday trip for another date in the future; some, undoubtedly, will not be recovered.

A unique attraction

Mary Hain of Harrison, N.Y. and friend Frances Rubera of Rye, N.Y. told Bloggingstocks they were delighted the owners and the stagehand workers union, Local 1 and the League of American Theatres and Producers, were able to settle their differences. Both expected to see the show "Chicago" with relatives who were traveling to the city for the holidays for that purpose.

"It just wouldn't have been the same if Broadway was not open for the holiday season," Hain said. "The two go hand-in-hand, it's part of the New York experience, and the shows mean so much to those coming to visit our city, especially the children."

Rubera agreed, noting that she and Hain will follow their ritual of also sampling a new restaurant in Manhattan's Theatre District before the show.

"It's part of what the city has to offer, live performance, it's a thrill," Rubera said. "You can travel to many places but there's only one place on earth like Broadway."