We now know the official date for when Broadway will fully re-open.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday, May 5th, that Broadway will reopen to full capacity on September 14, according to CBS New York.
“The shows open Sept. 14. The tickets go on sale tomorrow,” Cuomo said.
In his announcement, Gov. Cuomo also noted some details of what he would like reopening at 100% capacity to look like. He would hope that audience members would be fully vaccinated before seeing a Broadway show. Though, Cuomo admitted that he cannot demand that all audience members be vaccinated. Theaters, however, could create the regulation. And, the Broadway League is currently considering it.
“My option that I like is 100% vaccines. I think it would be a safer environment for people to go to. Now, is that feasible from a market point of view? I have no idea,” Cuomo said.
This comes two days after the governor announced that the state will lift pandemic-related capacity restrictions for restaurants, bars, museums, concert halls, and theaters on May 19. But again, full capacity Broadway performances will not become a reality until the fall.
Now that Broadway knows the official date for when they can open at full capacity, many shows will begin a mad dash to that date. Usually, Broadway shows have about a year and a half to sell tickets and prepare their productions before opening night. Now, they have a measly five months.
Many Broadway shows have announced their reopening dates and have started selling tickets, according to PlayBill. For instance, The Phantom of the Opera is slated to resume on October 22. Meanwhile, Six, the musical retelling the lives and deaths Henry VIII’s wives as if they were a pop group, is slated to return on October 3.
Some Broadway shows, though, have announced the expectation that their preparation will take longer than the fall. As such, we probably won’t see Broadway back in full swing until the winter or sometime next year.
Source: CBS New York, Playbill,
