THE SHOW MUST GO ON: BROADWAY TO OPEN DOORS AT FULL CAPACITY BY SEP 14

After a coronavirus wrought shutdown of over a year, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that Broadway shows would reopen at 100 percent capacity beginning September 14. He added that tickets would go on sale beginning May 6 and that the final approval will depend on theatre operators' compliance with health and safety protocols. Ryan McPhee reported for Playbill.

The governor did not specify in his remarks exactly which shows are planning to follow this timeline as productions are expected to welcome back audiences on a rolling basis relative to their resources and capabilities, including hirings and rehirings and rehearsal schedules.

The Broadway League, the trade organization representing producers, theatre owners, and other key decision-makers in the reopening process, confirmed the fall target (albeit without the specific date) shortly after Cuomo's announcement.

Earlier this week, Cuomo gave Broadway and other tri-state area theatres logistical clearance for this major step, saying that most remaining capacity restrictions would be lifted May 19. However, venues would still have to abide by CDC guidelines on social distancing, rendering it impossible for a theatre with fixed seating to welcome a pre-pandemic-sized audience.

Moreover, the industry needs to tie up myriad loose ends before raising the curtain, ranging from new agreements with the various unions involved to reaching and persuading would-be ticket buyers to return.

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio had previously said he intends to "fully reopen" the city July 1 should state mandates allow. Cuomo's follow-up now echoes de Blasio's conjecture that September is a more realistic, if optimistic, goal for Broadway specifically.

League President Charlotte St. Martin said that Cuomo's decision signifies that he "clearly recognizes the impact of Broadway's return on the city and state's economy and the complexity of restarting an entire industry that has been dormant."

Broadway's economic contributions have been at the center of many industry arguments for funding and relief during the shutdown; in the last full theatre season, the League says, Broadway welcomed 14.77 million theatregoers (more people than New York’s 10 major sports teams combined), contributing to nearly $15 billion to the New York economy and supporting employment for roughly 97,000 people.

So far, only new shows have announced exact opening dates. Diana, which played nine preview performances prior to the March 12, 2020, shutdown, says it will resume December 1; the revival of The Music Man expects to begin previews December 20. With this latest update, theatregoers can expect to see campaigns from long-running favorites announcing their own returns in the coming weeks.

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