Broadway will not open before January 2021

Amidst the ongoing health crisis, it has been announced that Broadway theatres will remain closed until at least January 3, 2021.

The Broadway League revealed that all tickets bought until that date will be refunded, though did not commit to a return date for shows while the ongoing pandemic continues.

President Charlotte St Martin said;

Our membership is working closely with the theatrical unions and in concert with key experts and some of the greatest minds inside and outside of the industry to explore protocols for all aspects of reopening. We are focused on identifying and implementing necessary measures that will enable us to resume performances safely for Broadway audiences and employees.

As the crisis enters a new chapter, the future is extremely uncertain for a struggling industry on the brink of collapse. As of writing, a total of 10.3m cases have been confirmed worldwide with over 504,000 deaths. The United States has recorded more individual cases in a single day than Australia has in total and numbers continue to climb, a sobering statistic for the nation.

In the last month, a number of Broadway shows already moved their opening dates to accommodate for the crisis – The Music Man starring Hugh Jackman will now open on 20 May 2021, while David Mamet’s American Buffalo is aiming for 14 April. Other shows that have moved include the transfer of the award-winning Caroline, or Change starring Sharon D. Clarke.

All New York venues went dark on March 12, 2020, and have remained so ever since. A number of US states saw a large spike in coronavirus cases over the past week, though New York’s rate of infection has slowed significantly over the past few days and is in the process of reopening many of its public spaces.

The Broadway League had previously closed venues up until September but has now extended this number by a further four months. A date for the West End’s return is still unclear while UK venues also remain closed.