SHORT TAKES : Budge on ‘Saigon,’ Equity Asked

Nearly 150 members of Actors Equity petitioned union officers to reconsider a decision on racial casting that resulted in cancellation of the Broadway production of a hit London musical, it was announced today.

Equity is checking the signatures to determine if they represent members in good standing before any action is taken by the 40,000-member union’s national council, said Helaine Feldman, a spokeswoman for Equity.

“There will be a meeting to discuss the petition and take action on it,” Feldman said.

The petition was presented the day after British producer Cameron Mackintosh canceled next April’s production of “Miss Saigon,” which already had a $25-million advance ticket sale, the largest ever for a Broadway show.

Mackintosh said he could not abide by Tuesday’s decision by Actors Equity’s council that prohibited him from casting a white actor, Jonathan Pryce, as a Eurasian pimp, the same role Pryce played in the megahit London production. The council said the role must be played by an actor of Asian background.

The cancellation cost Mackintosh $600,000 in pre-production expenses, plus refunding of a reported $25 million in advance ticket sales, possibly the greatest loss in theatrical history.