Cast of ‘The Farnsworth Invention’ Beats Broadway Strike Blues With Booze

The cast and crew of The Farnsworth Invention, Aaron Sorkin’s first Broadway show in eighteen years, gathered outside the Music Box Theater on 45th Street yesterday to stand in the picket line in support of the striking stagehands union and to celebrate their non-opening with $12 bottles of Korbel Champagne. Because what do you do when your show’s not running? You drink. While director Des McAnuff says that backlogged meetings have kept him occupied such that he’s not “worrying about this with a bottle of Scotch,” it’s his lead actor Jimmi Simpson’s drink of choice. Though the character he plays, wronged television inventor Milo T. Farnsworth, prefers Bushmills, Simpson says, “There’s plenty of that in the show so I’m taking a break from that. I’m just drinking Scotch.”

Actor Steve Rosen, holding a coffee, a bottle of water, and a bottle of Champagne in the picket line is growing a beard in protest as well. “This is my strike beard. I’m not shaving. I’m a hirsute kind of guy so if this goes on for another week I could be a grizzly man.” While the child actors bemoaned the fact that the strike sent them back to school, others made use of the freed-up time. “I made an omelette, read some e-mails, been walking the dog,” says actor Bruce McKinzie. “The omelette was good,” he assures us. “It was tomato, Feta, and bacon with some oregano mixed up with the egg.” As cast and crew milled around looking for something else to celebrate, McKinzie shrugged, “America’s Next Top Model starts at eight.” —Leah Chernikoff