Broadway will be going dark as some of New York City’s biggest venues have been closed among the spread of the Coronavirus, cancelling multiple shows including some from Disney on Broadway, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
- The news came after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo shared new guidelines limiting gatherings to no more than 500 people, going into effect Friday at 5 PM.
- That rule goes into effect at 5 PM on Thursday for Broadway shows however and all performances have been suspended through April 12.
- Theaters must have a minimum of 500 seats in order to qualify as official Broadway theaters.
- Anything smaller is considered off-Broadway and capacity for those theaters will be cut in half.
- There are 31 shows currently on Broadway including three Disney on Broadway productions:
- Frozen
- The Lion King
- Aladdin
- Disney on Broadway had previous waived exchange fees for anyone holding tickets to a performance through April 19.
What they’re saying:
- Broadway League president Charlotte St. Martin: "Our top priority has been and will continue to be the health and well-being of Broadway theatergoers and the thousands of people who work in the theater industry every day, including actors, musicians, stagehands, ushers and many other dedicated professionals.”
- New York City Bill de Blasio, prior to the announcement: "I don't want to see Broadway go dark if we can avoid it. I want to see if we can strike some kind of balance."