Eighteen shows are affected

The American Federation of Musicians is in a dispute with producers who want to cut the size of some orchestras.

The theatres had planned to go ahead with performances by using recorded music, but actors and stagehands refused to cross musicians' union picket lines.

This has caused the closure of 18 shows including The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and The Lion King - and severe disappointment for thousands of ticketholders.

It is the first time since the 1970s that Broadway has been badly affected by industrial action.

Musicians fear swingeing job cuts

The strike comes at a difficult time for the city, whose economy is still suffering the after-effects of the 11 September attacks.

"This is a sad night for Broadway and for New York," said Jed Bernstein, president of the League of American Theatres and Producers.

Plays on Broadway will be performed as usual, as will all off-Broadway productions. Cabaret is the only Broadway musical unaffected, because it is covered by a special contract.

Minimum numbers

Producers and the musicians' union ended negotiations on Friday after failing to reach agreement, and did not set a date to resume talks.

The producers want to modify guidelines which force them to employ a minimum number of musicians for each production.

They say the current minimums - which are determined by the size of a theatre - require them to use more musicians than are needed.

But the union says the plan would lead to major cuts and could spell the end of live music on Broadway.

"The producers need to come up with a reasonable offer to preserve the integrity of Broadway and keep live music from disappearing altogether," union spokesman Shawn Sachs said.

Over the longer term, the musicians are concerned that producers plan to phase out their services altogether and use recorded or computer-generated music instead.