The curtain may be falling on the Broadway stagehands' strike, as producers and union reps sat down yesterday in an effort to resolve the dispute for the first time in a week. The marathon session, which carried into this morning, had both sides cautiously optimistic, reports Newsday: "I think we're going to be able to make a deal," said the head of negotiations for one of three theater owners affected by the strike.
"Our people have their spreadsheets open, calculators going and I would assume the other side is all on the hopes of trying to come to conclusion," reports a union spokesman, who added, "Both sides are working hard." The strike, which began Nov. 10, costs the city an estimated $2 million per day. (More Broadway stories.)