Talks were set to begin at 9 PM March 10, Reuters reported.

"This morning I called both Jed Bernstein of the League of American Theatres and Producers and Bill Moriarity of Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians to express my, and every New Yorker's, desire to see an end to the labor dispute that has shut down Broadway," Bloomberg said in a released statement.

"They have since accepted my proposal to arrange round-the-clock bargaining sessions at Gracie Mansion starting tonight, which will be mediated by Dr. Frank Macchiarola, president of St. Francis College. I am encouraged that theatre owners, producers and the musicians' union have taken the city up on its offer and I am determined that they reach an agreement so Broadway can come back to life."

This ends the three-day silence between the two parties since Friday, March 7, when Actors' Equity and Local One of the stagehands' union, among other stage guilds, dramatically threw their weight behind the musicians' strike, virtually shutting down half of Broadway.

The strike took its toll as all musicals except Cabaret, which works under a different contract, were forced to cancel performances. Shows currently in rehearsals, including Nine, Gypsy and The Look of Love, were also affected. The mayor cited many reasons for his decision to take action in the negotiations, namely "the severe economic impact...the financial hardships being experienced by those employed in this and related industries, and the disappointment of theatregoers from around the world that the strike was causing."