I Can Hear the Gavel

Backstage: Vig's case arguably pivots on legal minutiae. At the Neil Simon Theatre, where "Hairspray" ran from 2002 to 2009, Local 802 requires at least 20 union members in the orchestra. Even for top-budget Broadway tuners, this can be costly. After the producers' exemption request was turned down by the local, the producers invoked a rule that lets actors play instruments in a show and have them count toward that minimum. Vig was one of five such actors in "Hairspray." This meant he joined Local 802. So the question is, which contract governed his job more? If it was Local 802's, did the "Hairspray" producers violate Vig's run-of-show clause when they prevented him from returning to work?