Tony 'N Tina's Wedding Utilizing Recorded Music; Local 802 "Locked Out"

By Adam Hetrick
09 Nov 2009

Musicians of Off-Broadway's long-running musical comedy Tony 'N Tina's Wedding have been locked out of the theatre and replaced with pre-recorded accompaniment tracks, according to the official website of Local 802, the union representing musicians in the greater New York area.

The New York Times blog is also reporting that in 2008 Local 802 renewed a three-year contract with the previous producers of Tony 'N Tina's Wedding detailing that the production would employ union musicians through 2011, even if new producers would take over the production.

Current producers, Kim and Sonny Ricciardi of Broadway Entertainment LLC, reportedly asked the musicians to learn a new song for the Oct. 17 performance, but when Local 802 members arrived for work that evening, they were locked out of the theatre. Union members have not been able to access their instruments and personal property since their last performance on Oct. 10.

A representative for Actors' Equity Association has informed Playbill.com that its union has an agreement with the producers of Tony 'N Tina and that its members have been instructed to report to work at this time.

Tony 'N Tina's Wedding began performances in 1988 and offers interactive weekend performances of the Italian wedding, replete with dancing, dinner, drinks and zany Italian relatives. The official website also bills the production as "The Longest Running Show in Off-Broadway History."