Board chairman Thomas Schumacher announces the decision to write off the rest of 2020 as COVID-19 cases are on the rise again following a number of state re-openings.
- June 30, 2020
AceShowbiz - Broadway theatres will stay dark for the remainder of the year as a result of the continued coronavirus pandemic.
Bosses at the Broadway League trade organisation, which represents theatre owners and producers, have decided to write off the rest of 2020 as COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are on the rise again following a number of state re-openings.
"The Great White Way" closures are now expected to last until at least 3 January (21), marking the fourth time the shutdown has been extended since all performances were put on pause in mid-March.
"The safety of our cast, crew, orchestra and audience is our highest priority and we look forward to returning to our stages only when it's safe to do so," Broadway League board chairman Thomas Schumacher shared in a statement.
"One thing is for sure, when we return we will be stronger and more needed than ever."
The news emerges days after the opening of Hugh Jackman's highly-anticipated production of "The Music Man" was officially pushed back from October to May 2021, with previews beginning in April.
The Broadway blackout had already caused the cancellation of two prominent new productions - Martin McDonagh's "Hangmen", with Dan Stevens, and Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", starring Laurie Metcalf - which had been in previews when the shutdown first occurred. Producers subsequently confirmed they will not return once the suspension ends.
