What you should know
- Just before the curtain rose on Wednesday, the popular Disney musical tweeted that they would be canceling the show due to COVID-19 cases on the team.
- The show offered refunds for those who purchased tickets and said they will “communicate the status of future performances tomorrow.”
- It was Broadway’s first COVID-19 cancellation since shows resumed with the Bruce Springsteen concert returning in July and “Pass Over” as the first play to debut in August.
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NEW YORK – After a successful reopening just a day ago, the hit Broadway show “Aladdin” announced a sudden cancellation due to reported COVID-19 cases within the musical’s company, proving once again that the pandemic it has left everyone living in “a whole new world.”
Just before the curtain rose on Wednesday, the popular Disney musical tweeted that “through our rigorous testing protocols, groundbreaking cases of COVID-19 have been detected within Aladdin’s company at the New Amsterdam Theater. Since the well-being and safety of our guests, cast and crew are our top priority, tonight’s performance, Wednesday, September 29, is canceled. “
The show offered refunds for those who purchased tickets and said they will “communicate the status of future performances tomorrow.”
It was a worrying sign for Broadway’s recovery. It was Broadway’s first COVID-19 cancellation since shows resumed with the Bruce Springsteen concert returning in July and “Pass Over” as the first play to debut in August.
Artists like Michael James Scott, who plays the iconic “Genie” on stage, had to hope to stay one step ahead of the virus. She previously spoke to the Today in New York show crew about the importance of coming back, after a year and a half away.
“It’s so meaningful, we’re so excited to be back. It means not just the return of Broadway, the epicenter of New York City’s entertainment capital,” Scott said.
But not even “A Friend Like Me Him” could have predicted how quickly everything could change, with this latest blow to the city’s efforts to reopen and the lights of Broadway dimmed, at least for now.
The pandemic forced Broadway theaters to close abruptly on March 12, 2020, eliminating all shows and fighting the spring season. Several have rebooted, including the so-called big three: “Wicked,” “Hamilton” and “The Lion King.”
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