
That would mean lower pay for cast and crew, a concession they are likely to consider only if theater owners take the same percentage cut in rent. The Broadway League and several labor unions have been talking about the possibility of opening with fewer than the customary eight shows a week. And “Phantom,” in its announcement, said protocols could require vaccination or negative test verification.)Įven the frequency of performances is still to be determined. “Are you willing to go into an indoor theater and sit there for two hours next to a person who you don’t know if they are vaccinated or unvaccinated?” he asked. Will masks be required for patrons? (Probably, at least at first.) Will performers sign autographs at the stage door? (Probably not, at least for a while.) Will vaccinations be required? (Governor Cuomo said he would prefer that, but said it would be up to the theater industry to decide. “I do think there’s going to be a real push to reach out to the tristate area, to day-trippers, and to locals,” said Sue Frost, a lead producer of “Come From Away.” “But does the pent-up demand explode and then go dormant? If we don’t put our toe in the water, we won’t know.” Those shows, with their well-known titles and fervent fans, face lower hurdles than others in reintroducing themselves to potential ticket buyers, and they are also the most able to withstand financial risk.Ī number of other musicals are also hoping to open in September, including the long running “Chicago,” the David Byrne concert show “American Utopia,” Disney’s “Aladdin” and the inspirational Canadian hit “Come From Away.” Each is confident they can find an audience even as some forecasts suggest that it could be several years before tourism fully recovers. The three juggernaut musicals that were the biggest box office grossers before the pandemic - “Hamilton,” “The Lion King” and “ Wicked” - have been planning to jointly announce next week that they expect to reopen in mid-September. “Emphatically: Yes, we are coming back,” said the show’s composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber. “We basically are starting from zero advance, as most shows are, and now we need time to reach out and build back up.”Īmong the first to go on sale following the governor’s announcement: “The Phantom of the Opera,” Broadway’s longest-running show, which said Wednesday evening that it would put tickets on sale Friday in anticipation of resuming performances Oct. “We had such a good year before the shutdown, but now we need the ability to reignite the energy that we were sailing on,” said Tom Hulce, a lead producer of “Ain’t Too Proud,” a jukebox musical about the Temptations. One of the biggest challenges the industry faces is the dearth of tourists, who made up roughly two-thirds of the Broadway audience before the pandemic struck. The coronavirus pandemic forced them all to close March 12, 2020, and reopening is clearly going to be far more complicated than shutting down.
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Edicts from elected officials are only one factor in reopening: every economic sector will have to figure out when and how to restart, and every individual will have to figure out when and how to re-emerge.īroadway, home to 41 theaters, drew 14.6 million people who spent $1.8 billion on tickets in 2019. “The last time the theater industry opened from a pandemic, Shakespeare was still writing new plays.”īroadway’s emerging timeline, which is constantly being re-evaluated, serves as a reminder that New York’s rebound from the pandemic will be slow and gradual. This uproarious and piercing look at love and marriage is coming to Hudson Theatre for a strictly limited engagement beginning February 25, 2022.“We’ve never done this before,” said Victoria Bailey, executive director of TDF, the nonprofit which oversees the TKTS ticket-selling booth in Times Square. Tony winner JOHN BENJAMIN HICKEY leads a Tony-winning creative team, including JOHN LEE BEATTY (sets), JANE GREENWOOD (costumes), BRIAN MacDEVITT (lighting), SCOTT LEHRER (sound), TOM WATSON (wigs) and MARC SHAIMAN (music). And Norma and Roy are the mother and father of the bride, ready to celebrate their daughter’s nuptials - if only they can get her out of the bathroom. Muriel and Jesse are former high school sweethearts who seem destined for an extended stay. Karen and Sam are a long-married pair whose relationship may be headed for an early checkout. Two world-class actors play three hilarious couples in a Broadway classic from a legendary playwright and Pulitzer Prize winner. Directed by Tony Award winner John Benjamin Hickey, this uproarious and piercing look at love and marriage is coming to Hudson Theatre for a limited engagement. Two-time Tony Award winner Matthew Broderick and two-time Emmy Award winner Sarah Jessica Parker return to Broadway together in the classic Neil Simon comedy Plaza Suite. “Neil Simon will once more set the town laughing.” – The New York Times
