With the settlement of the dispute between the producers and the stagehands that shut down shows on November 10, Broadway will once again be booming Thursday night. For full details of the strike read the excellent recap by Andrew Gans at Playbill.com - CLICK HERE

Three of the leading contenders for best play - "The Farnsworth Invention," "The Seafarer," and "August: Osage County" - were all in previews when the stagehands struck and will have to reschedule their opening nights in the weeks ahead. Producers certainly will have their work cut out for them to get attention in the busy holiday season. "Farnsworth," Aaron Sorkin's return to the Rialto after 18 years and toplined by Tony nominee Hank Azaria, may have an easier time of it than the serious-minded "Seafarer" and "August." Tthey lack the star power of "Farnsworth," though they have come to Broadway based on great reviews in London and Chicago, respectively.

However, the other show in previews, Disney's "The Little Mermaid," got less than stellar notices in its out-of-town tryout in Denver. With much work still needed on this water-logged legit version of the toon tuner, expect that opening night to be pushed back from the originally scheduled December 6.