After more than a year in darkness due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Broadway will finally light its stages once again this fall. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday that New York City’s iconic Broadway theaters will reopen on September 14th at full capacity.
“Broadway is at the core of our New York identity, and a big part of our economy which employs countless performers and show creators, and beginning this September, the show will go on,” said Governor Cuomo. “Visitors from all around the world have come to New York to experience the arts and culture and see iconic performances on Broadway, and sadly, the pandemic put this unique New York experience on pause. Thankfully, as we continue to monitor the data and reopen our economy, we are now on track to allow full capacity performances on Broadway to resume in September, bringing back this beloved world-famous attraction.”
In his statement, Cuomo clarified that the state will work closely with Broadway industry partners to plan for a safe return. That includes staying flexible and adapting to applicable health protocols like face masks, health screenings, enhanced air filtration and ventilation, and vigorous cleaning and disinfection.
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Tickets for upcoming Broadway shows — including mainstays like Hamilton and Wicked and newer productions like Jagged Little Pill and To Kill a Mockingbird — will go on sale tomorrow, May 6th via Broadway.com and other outlets. Should the performances be postponed due to public health conditions in the fall, theaters are already prepared to offer refunds and exchange policies to customers.
Broadway initially shut down on March 12th, 2020 with plans to reopen by Labor Day. However, when it became clear that COVID-19 was still raging on and vaccines wouldn’t be widely available by then, officials chose to keep the theater district shuttered well into 2021. As such, The Broadway League, a trade association of producers and theater owners, suspended all ticket sales for New York City productions until May.
Last summer, Hamilton was released on Disney+, making the otherwise hard-to-see phenomenon more accessible for curious fans worldwide. Meanwhile, theater organizers have been developing some exciting new productions, including a Game of Thrones play and an adaptation of Great Gatsby featuring music by Florence Welch. It looks like those may actually happen sooner rather than later now that Broadway is open again.
