Broadway Archives

October 17, 2024 Entertainment Law, Legal News, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, RPJ News & Publications

“Stereophonic” Rumors and an Evaluation of Cases from the Last Decade Exploring the Ability and Limits of Borrowing Copyrighted Material for the New York Stage

By Ethan Krasnoo This month, the producers and sound engineer behind Fleetwood Mac’s recordings filed a lawsuit alleging that the playwright David Adjmi and other related parties infringed their copyright in the memoir Making Rumours with Adjmi’s currently running Broadway play, Stereophonic. Notably, Stereophonic has garnered significant acclaim, winning five...

September 19, 2023 Legal News, RPJ News & Publications

Beetlejuice Eviction Day-O: Theater’s and Patron’s Rights and Remedies

By Ethan Krasnoo Last week, as widely reported, U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert was ejected from a Denver performance of the national tour of Beetlejuice, a musical based on the cult-favorite movie of the same title that played on Broadway until early 2023. According to The Denver Post, Boebert was escorted...

July 12, 2023 Employment Law, Entertainment Law, Legal News

Hadestown’s Journey Way Down to Court: Race-Based Casting’s Intersection with Employment Discrimination Laws

By Ethan Krasnoo Ensemblist Kimberly Moore has taken Hadestown from Broadway to lower Manhattan, having filed last month a lawsuit in federal court against the Broadway producers of the Tony Award-winning show. In the lawsuit, Moore alleges race discrimination and retaliation under federal and New York law. According to the...

May 25, 2023 Employment Law, Entertainment Law, RPJ News & Publications

Will NYC’s New Employment Discrimination Bill Restrict Casting “In the Heights”?

As recounted by my colleagues Jill Kahn Marshall and Anna Beckelman in their recent article, on May 11, 2023, the New York City Council passed a bill that prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and access to public accommodation on the basis of someone’s actual or perceived height or weight. By...

February 1, 2022 RPJ News & Publications

RPJ’s New York: The Call of Broadway is as Loud as Ever

As New York City comes back to life, we are reviving our non-legal series about the neighborhood and city that RPJ inhabits and loves. When I was a kid growing up in Long Beach, NY, I was fortunate enough to have a Dad who was crazy about theatre and to...

December 9, 2021 Employment Law, Entertainment Law, Legal News

What Comes Next?

As Broadway Grapples with Reopening and Bringing in Patrons Some Shows Also Confront Lawsuits from Actors Alleging Discrimination and Termination Due to Protected Classes Including Religion and Gender While Broadway is up and running, and trying to stay that way despite lacking tourists, new variants of Covid, and the financial...

July 29, 2021 COVID-19, Entertainment Law, Healthcare Law

Partner Ethan Krasnoo Discusses Vaccine Mandates for Theater Professionals and Audiences Amid Broadway Reopening

Broadway curtains are gearing up to rise again this fall after a year of lockdown, but the highly contagious Delta variant and breakthrough cases in vaccinated individuals present serious considerations for determining the safest ways to get company members and audiences back in the theater. Partner Ethan Krasnoo weighed in...

June 11, 2021 RPJ News & Publications

One Jump Ahead: Broadway Makes Strides to Bridge Racial Equity Gaps

In response to the great, cultural emphasis being paid to national racial inequities, the Broadway Advocacy Coalition (BAC) announced the launch of Reimagining Equitable Productions (REP), its newest program conceived in effort to invite racial equality to the rehearsal rooms and performance spaces of the American Theatre. Inspired by its...

March 22, 2021 COVID-19, Entertainment Law, RPJ News & Publications

But Only For Now: Broadway Reopens

Broadway theaters, including The Music Box Theatre, home of “Dear Evan Hansen,” will start opening as early as April 2, 2021. But don’t get too excited. “Dear Evan Hansen” is still on hiatus, but programming at its theater and other Broadway houses is set to start as part of NY...

February 17, 2021 COVID-19, Employment Law, Entertainment Law

FAQs on Whether Broadway Can Require Audience, Cast Members, and Other Participants to Prove They Have Been Vaccinated Before Being Allowed In the Room Where it Happened

We are on track for Broadway to resume performances at some point this year and what a glorious day that will be! But when that happens, how will theaters and production companies ensure a safe environment for audience members and their employees? Can Broadway Theaters and Producers Require Audiences to...

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