Broadway Musicians Union Challenges Priscilla

The New York Times reports that the Broadway musicians’ union is waging a political-style campaign against the producers of Priscilla Queen of the Desert over the use of recorded music, based on the fact that Priscilla employs just nine live musicians, supplemented by taped music.

The union has hired a veteran New York political operative Ethan Geto to help frame its case to Priscilla producers and others on Broadway. The union and Mr. Geto have created a a website, savelivemusiconbroadway.com, that includes testimonials from composers and performers and that enables visitors to donate to the cause or send letters of complaint to the league.

Musicians fear that more Broadway producers will replace them with recorded music — played on synthesizers, electronic keyboards and other means — unless they win a victory against Priscilla.

Union officials believe that aspects of the production of Priscilla could prove favorable before an arbitrator. For instance, Priscilla does not have violinists or other string players performing live; it has recorded string music and compressed the sound waves to create what the show’s producers call a unique sound.

The union has gone to arbitration because it lost a first round against Priscilla, when a mutually agreed upon neutral moderator ruled on March 16 that she did not “imagine the presence of more musicians to be legitimately needed in this case, especially violins,” according to a copy of her findings letter.

The starting point for the arbitration fight involves the minimum number of musicians, set in the Local 802 contract, for each of Broadway’s 40 theaters. The set minimum for the Palace Theater, where Priscilla is running, is 18.

Union officials and the Broadway League, which represents producers, have chosen an arbitrator to consider the musicians’ complaint and are awaiting a date for the first meeting.

Source: New York Times - Link to the entire article.

Image: (l to r) Will Swenson, Tony Sheldon and Nick Adams. Photographer: Joan Marcus

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