Just yesterday (Wednesday, December 15), Broadway shows “Tina,” “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” “Hamilton,” and “Mrs. Doubtfire,” all canceled various performances.
https://twitter.com/TinaBroadway/status/1471142366383902720
And even earlier in the week, others like “Freestyle Love Supreme” and “Ain’t Too Proud” were forced to do the same. At the moment, it seems like shows are going on as planned for this coming weekend.
According to the Times, all shows cited COVID-19 as the reason, sharing that cast members or staff had tested positive — though most were asymptomatic or only had mild symptoms.
Although vaccinations are required for all cast and staff members — and audiences — and guests in attendance must wear face coverings, there are still breakthrough cases occurring.
Of course the cancellations are disappointing for ticket holders, but they also come at a (literal) cost for shows. For a show that makes $1 million a week, each missed performance equates to a loss $125,000, the Times estimates — even more so on weekends.
Still, on a more optimistic note, most shows are continuing to run normally — and are only getting canceled for a day or two at a time. The Broadway League estimates that as of this Sunday (Dec. 12), there have been 2,351 Broadway performances seen by 2.3 million people.
“There’s no question that this current rash of breakthrough cases is concerning, but the industry has not shut down,” the League’s president Charlotte St. Martin told the Times. “I’m knocking on wood so much I have bruised knuckles, but so far we’re still open, and a two- or three-day shutdown, now and then, I think is to be expected.”