While 18 shows were canceled before the holidays, Broadway is facing a massive closure of its theaters due to the pandemic wave.
Posted at 4:36 p.m.
Broadway artists and craftsmen are allowed to return to work, but the Omicron variant has a say in how well this revival goes. The most popular shows in normal times (like hamilton Where Six) no longer manage to sell all their tickets. Only 62% of seats were occupied during the first week of January on Broadway, reports the New York Times, the lowest result since the musicians’ strike of 2003.
Some 40 million were collected during the Christmas and New Year weeks, 99 million less than pre-pandemic figures. In addition, many theater employees fell ill, causing a labor shortage and cancellations of performances. Requests for refunds are so numerous that some productions make more money than they earn, again depending on the Times.
Nine shows have been canceled in the last month alone, with some producers planning a resumption later this year, others bowing out for good.
If we expect in the industry that the situation will stabilize eventually, we know that it will cost millions, but above all that certain productions will not survive it and that careers will come to an end by then.