Settling the remains of a Broadway show

There's always baggage when a show closes, beyond the backstage crushes, grudges and sad goodbyes.

It has to do with stuff: the scenery, props and costumes that all have to exit the theater.

Typically that takes three routes — trash it, sell it or store it (if there's a possible afterlife), according to veteran stage manager Arthur Gaffin, who's now at "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson."

"The Scottsboro Boys," which closed on Sunday, picked the third option, since there are plans to remount the production.

"I will not let it die. The show will live again," says producer Barry Weissler, who declined to offer details.

Because of the musical's minimal staging — 12 chairs and few beams was about it — a Man With a Van could have carted it all away.

The far more lavish "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," ending Jan. 23, will need more than that to stash all the scenery and costumes in the Lincoln Center vault.

Don't be surprised if items reappear in other Lincoln Center shows. "The Coward" used repurposed furniture and fashions for its recent run.

One particular accessory could show up on Patti LuPone, who stars in "Women on the Verge." "I'd take the black feather hat," she says. "I look like a very sophisticated 'Sesame Street' bird."

Recycling and reusing are growing trends in the theater, says Donyale Werle, who designed the art and bric-a-brac-filled set for "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson," closing Jan. 2.

Quirky sculptures will be broken down into the raw materials, Werle says, and used for upcoming projects. Red fabric will be woven into "Peter and the Starcatcher," opening in February at the New York Theater Workshop.

"BBAJ" props on loan from the Public Theater will be returned, including a stuffed nag previously seen downtown in "Kicking a Dead Horse."

After it shutters on Jan. 2, "Elf" will stash away everything, from Santa's sleigh to curly-toed shoes, until next year, when it will get unwrapped like a Christmas present in a city to be determined.

"'Elf' was built to move," says producer Gregg Maday. "We see it running somewhere in the fourth quarter every year for many years to come."

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