Return of BROADWAY and Live Theatre

[jo]

It looks like the first one out of pandemic confinement will be SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK!


www.broadwayworld.com/article/Breaking-Public-Theaters-Shakespeare-In-The-Park-Will-Return-for-Summer-2021-with-Jocelyn-Biohs-MERRY-WIVES-20210316

Breaking: Public Theater's Shakespeare In The Park Will Return for Summer 2021 with Jocelyn Bioh's MERRY WIVES
The new adaptation will run beginning July 6 through August 29.

by BWW News Desk Mar. 16, 2021

Breaking: Public Theater's Shakespeare In The Park Will Return for Summer 2021 with Jocelyn Bioh's MERRY WIVES
Hope is on the horizon in the New York theatre, as The Public Theater has just announced that Shakespeare in the Park, which plays outdoors at Central Park's Delacorte Theatre will return this summer. A statement from the theatre reads:

"We have spent the last year getting ready. We have been producing new work, and preparing a safe return. We've grieved, Zoomed, innovated, supported our communities, and connected our city. We've gathered brilliant artists to imagine summer under the stars in Central Park and are planning a return of Free Shakespeare in the Park beginning July 6 through August 29, with MERRY WIVES, a fresh and joyous adaptation, by Jocelyn Bioh, of Shakespeare's MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR directed by our Associate Artistic Director and Resident Director Saheem Ali.

"Set in South Harlem amidst a vibrant and eclectic community of West African immigrants, MERRY WIVES will be a celebration of Black joy, laughter, and vitality. A New York story about the tricks of the heart, performed in the heart of the City.



In partnership with City officials, health and safety experts, and with our theatrical unions, the performance schedule, safety protocols, and free ticket distribution details will be forthcoming over the next several weeks."
Last summer's cancelled season was to include RICHARD II and AS YOU LIKE IT.

Since 1962, over five million people have enjoyed more than 150 free productions of Shakespeare and other classical works and musicals at The Delacorte Theater. Conceived by founder Joseph Papp as a way to make great theater accessible to all, The Public's Free Shakespeare in the Park continues to be the bedrock of the Company's mission to increase access and engage the community.

Photo Credit: Steve Brown

[jo]

Jagged Little Pill ( Grammy winner for best musical theatre album) has been selling tickets for a while now, planning to re-open on June 1, 2021.

On Telecharge, Mrs. Doubtfire has also started selling tickets for a June 1, 2021 re-opening.


Jo

[jo]

Mayor Bill de Blasio looking at September as the planned re-opening of Broadway and New York theatre.


www.npr.org/2021/03/25/981165943/nyc-mayor-promises-to-help-broadway-re-open-by-september

NYC Mayor Promises To Help Broadway Re-Open By September
March 25, 202111:25 AM ET
Anastasia Tsioulcas



A sign of the "Hamilton" marquee at New York City's Richard Rogers Theater on Mar. 12, 2021, commemorating Broadway's "lost year" and a hope to return to live performances by fall 2021.

Bruce Glikas/WireImage/Getty Images


It's almost time to raise the curtains again in New York City, says mayor Bill de Blasio. In a press conference Thursday morning, de Blasio said that he expects Broadway and off-Broadway shows to reopen by September, and that he plans to facilitate that target date. "Broadway needs to come back, and we will move heaven and earth to bring Broadway back," he said. New York City's theaters have been shut down for more than a year, since Mar. 12, 2020.

De Blasio said that the city will help clear the way for reopening through a series of public health measures, including creating a dedicated COVID-19 vaccination cite for the theater industry that will be located in midtown's theater district; creating a mobile vaccination unit for off-Broadway theater workers; creating pop-up coronavirus testing sites near theaters; and developing crowd-management plans for the times before and after shows. (Many Broadway theaters are located on narrow crosstown streets that were easily overwhelmed even pre-pandemic.)


Noting that the target date for theaters' reopening is in six months and that it will take months of advance preparation to re-open safely and successfully, De Blasio said: "We've got to lay the groundwork for a strong comeback for Broadway and off-Broadway. Our theater community needs it. ... our city needs it, too. It's part of our identity."


The mayor made particular note of the economic impact of New York theater. According to the Broadway League, the organization representing Broadway theaters and producers, there were 14.8 million attendees at Broadway shows in the 2018-19 season; 65% of those show-goers came from outside the New York tri-state area, and 19% were foreign tourists. The industry also supports some 97,000 jobs in the city. New York's cultural offerings are also fundamental to the success of the city's hospitality industry, including restaurants, bars and hotels.

De Blasio, who frequently spars with New York state governor Andrew Cuomo, also used Thursday's press conference to say that the city cannot enact its plans to revive the theater industry without guidance and help from the state, including issuing clear mandates for theater workers regarding mask usage and how to use audience members' proof of vaccination or negative coronavirus tests to help keep theater performers and workers safe.

[jo]

In London -- the opening of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD in 2022 --

www.broadwayworld.com/article/Rafe-Spall-to-Lead-TO-KILL-A-MOCKINGBIRD-West-End-in-2022-20210325


Excerpts --

The show's producer, Scott Rudin, has confirmed that previews are set to begin March 10, 2022 at the Gielgud Theatre, with an official opening night planned for March 31, 2022. Tickets will go on sale April 6.

The production will contact existing ticket holders to facilitate ticket transfers and exchanges for the new dates.

According to the play's author, Aaron Sorkin, the West End production "will not be a Xerox copy" of the production currently on Broadway.

The West End production is also planning education and community initiatives, including making 500 tickets a week available for £5-£10.

Will they eventually change the Broadway version, which will likely reopen at some point?

Will Broadway also include community initiatives ( although they already had that MSGarden free performance for 18,000 middle-schoolers.


Jo

[jo]

www.newyorktheatreguide.com/news-features/will-broadway-shows-reopen-in-2021

[jo]

[jo]

From the NYTimes --

Broadway Is Reopening. But Not Until September.


Even as New York City begins to reopen this summer, Broadway will not resume performances until Sept. 14. Here’s why.

Broadway, a powerful economic driver of New York City, will begin to reopen Sept. 14 with full-capacity shows, and tickets will go on sale this week.





Michael Paulson
By Michael Paulson
May 5, 2021
Updated 12:37 p.m. ET


Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo says that most pandemic capacity restrictions will ease in two weeks. Mayor Bill de Blasio says he wants the city to fully reopen on July 1. But Broadway, a beacon for tourists and an engine for the economy, is not quite ready to turn on the stage lights.

Most shows are not planning performances until September or later. But there are signs of life: Mr. Cuomo said Wednesday that Broadway shows would start selling tickets Thursday for full-capacity shows with performances starting Sept. 14.

Why the four-month wait? With as many as eight shows a week to fill, and the tourists who make up an important part of their customer base yet to return, producers need time to advertise and market. They need to reassemble and rehearse casts who have been out of work for more than a year. And they need to sort out and negotiate safety protocols.

But the biggest reason is more gut-based: individually and collectively, they are trying to imagine when large numbers of people are likely to feel comfortable traveling to Times Square, funneling through cramped lobbies and walking down narrow aisles to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers. (Most Broadway shows lose money even in the best of times, so producers say there is no way they can afford to reopen with social distancing, given the industry’s high labor and real estate costs.)



“We’ve never done this before,” said Victoria Bailey, executive director of TDF, the nonprofit which oversees the TKTS ticket-selling booth in Times Square. “The last time the theater industry opened from a pandemic, Shakespeare was still writing new plays.”

Broadway’s emerging timeline, which is constantly being re-evaluated, serves as a reminder that New York’s rebound from the pandemic will be slow and gradual. Edicts from elected officials are only one factor in reopening: every economic sector will have to figure out when and how to restart, and every individual will have to figure out when and how to re-emerge.


Broadway, home to 41 theaters, drew 14.6 million people who spent $1.8 billion on tickets in 2019. The coronavirus pandemic forced them all to close March 12, 2020, and reopening is clearly going to be far more complicated than shutting down.

“We had such a good year before the shutdown, but now we need the ability to reignite the energy that we were sailing on,” said Tom Hulce, a lead producer of “Ain’t Too Proud,” a jukebox musical about the Temptations. “We basically are starting from zero advance, as most shows are, and now we need time to reach out and build back up.”


Image“Ain’t Too Proud,” a jukebox musical about the Temptations, had a good year before it closed, but needs time to build back its audience.

“Ain’t Too Proud,” a jukebox musical about the Temptations, had a good year before it closed, but needs time to build back its audience.Credit...Sara Krulwich/The New York Times
About 30 shows are currently planning to begin performances on Broadway before the end of 2021 — about half starting in September, and the rest spread out across the year’s final quarter.



The three juggernaut musicals that were the biggest box office grossers before the pandemic — “Hamilton,” “The Lion King” and “Wicked” — are planning next week to jointly announce that they expect to reopen in mid-September. Those shows, with their well-known titles and fervent fans, face lower hurdles than others in reintroducing themselves to potential ticket buyers, and they are also the most able to withstand financial risk.

A number of other musicals are also hoping to open in September, including the long running “Chicago,” the David Byrne concert show “American Utopia,” Disney’s “Aladdin” and the inspirational Canadian hit “Come From Away.” Each is confident they can find an audience even with a dearth of tourists, who in prepandemic years made up roughly two-thirds of the Broadway audience.

“I do think there’s going to be a real push to reach out to the tristate area, to day-trippers, and to locals,” said Sue Frost, a lead producer of “Come From Away.” “But does the pent-up demand explode and then go dormant? If we don’t put our toe in the water, we won’t know.”


Image
The longest running show in Broadway history, “The Phantom of the Opera,” which opened in 1988, is aiming to restart in October.


There remain many uncertainties. Will masks be required for patrons? (Probably, at least at first.) Will performers sign autographs at the stage door? (Probably not, at least for a while.) Will vaccinations be required? (Governor Cuomo suggested that such requirements could reassure theatergoers. “Are you willing to go into an indoor theater and sit there for two hours next to a person who you don’t know if they are vaccinated or unvaccinated?” he asked.)



Even the frequency of performances is still to be determined. The Broadway League and several labor unions have been talking about the possibility of opening with fewer than the customary eight shows a week. That would mean lower pay for cast and crew, a concession they are likely to consider only if theater owners take the same percentage cut in rent.




Pricing practices are expected to be fluid. Several producers said they expect to start selling tickets at prices similar to those in place before the pandemic, but that they could adjust depending on what demand looks like. One change that seems certain in the post-pandemic era: more liberal refund policies.

“There’s never been a time when all the tickets have basically gone on sale at once, so there’s going to be a lot of learning,” said Brian Fenty, the chief executive of TodayTix, which runs a popular ticket-selling app.

Every show faces casting complications, because most, if not all, contracts with actors have expired and will need to be renegotiated. Some performers have gained weight. Some are dealing with lingering effects of Covid. Invariably, some ensemble members will decide that life in, say, Nebraska is actually better than life in New York. Some child actors — and there are children in the casts of a half-dozen shows — have aged out of their roles. Elizabeth Stanley, a star of “Jagged Little Pill” is pregnant. And Karen Olivo, whose character is central to “Moulin Rouge!,” has decided she no longer wants to perform on Broadway.




Broadway has been rocked not only by the pandemic, but also by the unrest over racial inequity that coursed through the country last year after George Floyd and Breonna Taylor were killed by police.

All of the new plays announced for Broadway this fall are by Black writers. Two are commercial productions — Keenan Scott II’s “Thoughts of a Colored Man,” about a single day in the life of seven Black men in Brooklyn, and Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu’s “Pass Over,” about two Black men trapped by existential dread in a society where too many Black people are killed by police.

“We are leaning in to the conversation that’s happening in America,” said Brian Moreland, a lead producer of “Thoughts of a Colored Man,” which is aiming to open in October.




There will also be three nonprofit productions of plays by Black writers on Broadway: “Clyde’s,” a new play by Lynn Nottage presented by Second Stage; “Lackawanna Blues,” a one-man show by Ruben Santiago-Hudson presented by the Manhattan Theater Club; and “Trouble in Mind,” a classic play by Alice Childress getting its first Broadway production via the Roundabout Theater Company.

“It’s been a really hard year for the not-for-profits — we’re all suffering, and we all have deficits,” said Carole Rothman, the artistic director of Second Stage, who said she hopes to start performances of “Clyde’s” in November, after opening her smaller Off Broadway stage a little earlier. “I’m an optimist,” she said. “Definitely there’s going to be an audience chomping at the bit to see theater.”



“Lackawanna Blues,” a one-man show by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, standing, is one of several works by Black playwrights coming to Broadway.


A handful of shows are not expected to return until 2022. The most prominent among them is the two-part play, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” which is rethinking its length and structure before deciding how and when to reopen. And plans for a pair of shows produced by Scott Rudin, “To Kill a Mockingbird” and a revival of “West Side Story,” are unclear following his decision to step back from active involvement after a series of news reports detailed his bullying behavior toward employees and collaborators.

Expect at least four new Broadway musicals to open this fall, including “Six,” the concert-style British pop show about the ill-fated wives of King Henry VIII, as well as “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Diana” and “Flying Over Sunset.”

The longest running show in Broadway history, “The Phantom of the Opera,” which opened in 1988, is aiming to restart in October. “Emphatically: Yes, we are coming back,” said the show’s composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, who is planning to travel to New York from his home in England to take part in the rehearsals. “And hopefully bigger, better, and brighter.

No mention of THE MUSIC MAN but the photo they used to headline the story is THE MUSIC MAN at the Winter Garden.

Uncertainty for To Kill A Mockingbird & West Side Story as of now presumably because no announcements have been made re the replacements for Scott Rudin. But I am sure that it will be left uncertain - either they close those 2 and Book Of Mormon or they will also start selling tickets soon.

No need to clarify at this point if The Music Man is going ahead as planned - when Hugh Jackman made the assurance that they will rebuild the production - that seemed good enough!

[jo]

Report from the Broadwayworld re the press conference of NY and NYC officials --

Breaking News: Broadway to Re-Open on September 14th at 100% Capacity
Broadway is Coming Back! Tickets to Go On Sale Soon

by BWW News Desk May. 5, 2021

At a press conference this morning, Governor Cuomo announced that Broadway will be back in New York City with shows opening September 14. Tickets will go sale at 100% capacity on May 6.

No individual shows have yet announced their returns, but this announcement that they will be able to do so at 100% paves the way. According to the New York Times, HAMILTON, THE LION KING and WICKED will announce jointly next week their return, followed by CHICAGO, ALADDIN, COME FROM AWAY, AMERICAN UTOPIA and others.

Andrew Cuomo
@nygovcuomo
In New York City giving a COVID update and making an announcement. Watch live: t.co/Q8n8FjaGkb
11:38 PM · May 5, 2021

With guidance from Governor Andrew Cuomo, based on current health trends and subject to continuing improvement of public health and vaccination rates, as well as the state's final approval of each theatre operator's health and safety protocols, the Broadway League announces that Broadway shows in New York City will resume ticket sales this month for Fall 2021 performances. Anticipated dates for each returning and new Broadway production will be announced in coming weeks on a show-by-show basis as individual productions and their producers determine the performance schedules and timelines for their respective shows.


Per reporting, Broadway will be following all health protocols including "face coverings, health screening, enhanced air filtration and ventilation, and rigorous cleaning and disinfection" and "If performances need to be postponed due to the public health conditions, theaters have planned to offer customer-friendly refunds and exchange policies."

"We are thrilled that Governor Cuomo 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 for over a year," said Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League. "Nothing beats Broadway. The theatre owners, producers, and other League members will continue to work with the NY State Department of Health and the Governor to coordinate the industry's return and the related health and safety protocols required to do so. We remain cautiously optimistic about Broadway's ability to resume performances this fall and are happy that fans can start buying tickets again."


During the press conference, Cuomo said "Broadway is at the core of our New York identity, and a big part of our economy which employs countless performers and show creators, and beginning this September, the show will go on. Visitors from all around the world have come to New York to experience the arts and culture and see iconic performances on Broadway, and sadly, the pandemic put this unique New York experience on pause. Thankfully, as we continue to monitor the data and reopen our economy, we are now on track to allow full capacity performances on Broadway to resume in September, bringing back this beloved world-famous attraction."

Just last week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to fully reopen New York City on July 1, with Broadway returning in September. The Broadway League confirmed hope in his plan, issuing the following statement:

"The Broadway League has been working closely with State and City officials on plans for safely restarting the Broadway industry, welcoming audiences, and bringing our workforce back. Today's remarks by the mayor give us further optimism that Broadway productions can resume this fall, beginning in September, and we look forward to providing more details about reopening in the coming weeks."

[jo]

Report from Broadway League --

Broadway Resumes Ticket Sales Aiming for Fall Comeback
Posted by: Official_Press_Release 04:34 pm EDT 05/05/21
For Immediate Release

Broadway Resumes Ticket Sales Aiming for Fall Comeback

#NothingBeatsBroadway

New York, NY – May 5, 2021 – With guidance from Governor Andrew Cuomo, based on current health trends and subject to continuing improvement of public health and vaccination rates, as well as the state’s final approval of each theatre operator’s health and safety protocols, the Broadway League announces that Broadway shows in New York City will resume ticket sales this month for Fall 2021 performances.

Anticipated dates for each returning and new Broadway production will be announced in coming weeks on a show-by-show basis as individual productions and their producers determine the performance schedules and timelines for their respective shows. Theatregoers are encouraged to visit Broadway.org for updated information about show times and performances as they are announced.

“We are thrilled that Governor Cuomo 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 for over a year,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League. “Nothing beats Broadway. The theatre owners, producers, and other League members will continue to work with the NY State Department of Health and the Governor to coordinate the industry’s return and the related health and safety protocols required to do so. We remain cautiously optimistic about Broadway’s ability to resume performances this fall and are happy that fans can start buying tickets again.”

Broadway performances were initially suspended due to COVID 19 on March 12, 2020. At that time, 31 productions were running, including 8 new shows in previews. Additionally, 8 productions were in rehearsals preparing to open in the spring.

# # #

[jo]

Telecharge is now officially selling tickets to TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD for performances starting October 5, 2021. At present, they're selling tickets only up to February 20, 2022.

With the return of LEHMAN TRILOGY and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, does this mean the producer issue involving the exit of Lead producer Scott Rudin will also be soon or already resolved for THE MUSIC MAN, too?


Jo

[jo]

www.broadwayworld.com/article/TO-KILL-A-MOCKINGBIRD-Will-Return-to-Broadway-October-5-Starring-Jeff-Daniels-and-Celia-Keenan-Bolger-20210610

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Will Return to Broadway October 5; Starring Jeff Daniels and Celia Keenan-Bolger
The production will launch a National Tour on March 27, 2022 at Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, NY

by Stephi Wild Jun. 10, 2021

To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird is set to resume performances on Broadway on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, at the Shubert Theatre. Tony Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Jeff Daniels will reprise his originating iconic role as 'Atticus Finch' and Celia Keenan-Bolger returns in her Tony Award-winning performance as 'Scout Finch' in Aaron Sorkin's new play with direction by Bartlett Sher.

Find out what other shows are returning to Broadway, and when, here!

It was also announced that Orin Wolf has been named Executive Producer of To Kill A Mockingbird, effective immediately. Mr. Wolf will oversee all aspects of the production.

In a statement, Aaron Sorkin said, "We've been waiting more than a year for Mockingbird-and all of Broadway-to come back, so this is a very happy announcement. I'm looking forward to the re-launch of the play under Orin Wolf's leadership and I'm excited for the electricity that Jeff, Celia and the whole cast will be bringing to the Shubert Theatre. Mostly I'm looking forward to being back in our rehearsal room."



Mr. Daniels added, "Over the course of the original year long run, I felt a nightly privilege playing Atticus Finch. At this moment in our country's history, I'm honored to play him again, to inhabit an iconic American Hero who still speaks to our times and will help us all remember who we can be."

To Kill a Mockingbird has amassed a total gross of more than $125,000,000, and before the Broadway shutdown, continuously played to standing-room-only houses. Since performances began on Thursday, November 1, 2018, the production has not played to an empty seat, with capacity remaining over 100% for every performance. On February 26, 2020, the cast of To Kill A Mockingbird gave a history-making performance of the play at Madison Square Garden, for 18,000 New York City school kids. This was the largest single performance of a theatrical work in the history of world theater. In 2019, to culminate National "Theatre In Our Schools" month, Mr. Sorkin, Mr. Daniels, Mr. Sher, and members of the Broadway cast of To Kill A Mockingbird took the play to Washington, D.C. for an unprecedented special presentation at the Library of Congress, in partnership with the Educational Theatre Association. Speaker Nancy Pelosi was the special guest, opening the event alongside Dr. Carla Diane Hayden, Librarian of Congress (the first woman in our nation's history to hold the coveted position).


To Kill a Mockingbird will launch its coast-to-coast National Tour on March 27, 2022 at Shea's Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, NY, followed by the official tour opening on April 5, 2022 at the Citizens Bank Opera House in Boston, MA, starring Emmy Award winner Richard Thomas as 'Atticus Finch'; and will begin performances in London's West End at the Gielgud Theatre on March 10, 2022, starring Rafe Spall.

Set in Alabama in 1934, Harper Lee's enduring story of racial injustice and childhood innocence centers on one of the most venerated characters in American literature, the small-town lawyer Atticus Finch, played by Daniels. The cast of characters includes Atticus's daughter Scout, her brother Jem, their housekeeper and caretaker, Calpurnia, their visiting friend Dill, and a mysterious neighbor, the reclusive Arthur "Boo" Radley.

Tickets for To Kill A Mockingbird are now available via Telecharge at 212 239 6200, and on Telecharge.com.

[jo]

The New York Times has more details on what is happening at the Producer end --

www.nytimes.com/2021/06/10/theater/mockingbird-broadway-reopening.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage§ion=Theater

Jeff Daniels to Return to Broadway in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’

The production also has a new management team to replace Scott Rudin, who stepped aside after allegations of abusive behavior.

Jeff Daniels as Atticus Finch and Celia Keenan-Bolger as Scout in “To Kill a Mockingbird” on Broadway in 2018. The two actors will return to their roles when the production resumes performances this fall.

By Michael Paulson
June 10, 2021, 7:00 a.m. ET
Aaron Sorkin’s stage adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which before the pandemic was the rare play to have a long and lucrative Broadway run, will resume performances on Oct. 5.

It will reopen with a pair of familiar faces onstage: Jeff Daniels, who starred as the righteous lawyer Atticus Finch during the show’s first year, will return to lead the cast, and Celia Keenan-Bolger, who won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Finch’s daughter, Scout, in the original cast, will return to that role. They are planning to remain in the cast until Jan. 2.

Offstage, there is more change.

This is the first of Scott Rudin’s shows to announce a plan to move on without its lead producer. In April, Rudin said he would step back from producing after facing scrutiny of his bullying behavior.

The production will now be overseen by Orin Wolf, who was the lead producer of the Tony-winning musical “The Band’s Visit,” and who is the president of a touring company, NETworks, that before the pandemic had been engaged by Rudin to supervise a “Mockingbird” tour. Wolf’s title will be executive producer, and he will be responsible for the show’s operations, reporting to Barry Diller, a lead producer who will be the producers’ managing member with ultimate responsibility for its financing.



“The show was positioned in a strong and beautiful way, and I don’t think my job is to come in and fix anything, but to honor what’s there,” Wolf said in an interview. “I’m not coming in to make artistic decisions.”

Wolf said Rudin would not have any role with the production, adding that he has had no recent communication with Rudin. Wolf’s agreement was negotiated with Diller, he said, and a condition of his employment was that Rudin would have no voice in the production.

“The Broadway company will no longer pay any compensation to Scott as a producer, and he’ll no longer have any managerial or decision-making role of any kind,” Wolf said. “He does have a small investment position, which is passive.”

“To Kill a Mockingbird,” adapted from the 1960 Harper Lee novel, opened on Broadway in December 2018. It has consistently played to full houses; over the course of the play’s prepandemic run, it had an audience of 810,000 people and grossed $120 million, according to the Broadway League. The show recouped its $7.5 million capitalization — the amount of money it took to bring it to Broadway — 19 weeks after opening.

Wolf, who has collaborated several times with the director of “Mockingbird,” Bartlett Sher, said he agreed to manage the production in order to try to protect both the show and its 182 employees. “We’re going into uncharted territory,” he said, “but my job is to make sure we’re creating an environment for the artists to do their jobs, to make sure we’re putting the production back up that people loved, and once we’ve done that job, my job is to keep trying to discover what this post-pandemic audience is.”



Wolf will also continue to oversee the national tour of “Mockingbird,” which is scheduled to start performances in Buffalo, N.Y., next March and to open in Boston next April, starring Richard Thomas. The British producer Sonia Friedman will oversee a London production, starring Rafe Spall, that is scheduled to begin performances in March.

[jo]

Given some resurgence of the pandemic due to the Delta variant --

what next for Broadway -- due to reopen in the fall?


www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/broadway-reopening-fears-1234985374-1234985374/

[JH4HJ]

Broadway Theatres In New York City Announce Vaccination and Mask Requirement For Audiences

NEW YORK (July 30, 2021) – The Broadway League announced today that the owners and operators of all 41 Broadway theatres in New York City will require vaccinations for audience members, as well as performers, backstage crew, and theatre staff, for all performances through October 2021. Masks will also be required for audiences inside the theatre, except while eating or drinking in designated locations.

Under the policy, guests will need to be fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine in order to attend a show and must show proof of vaccination at their time of entry into the theatre with their valid ticket. “Fully vaccinated” means the performance date must be at least 14 days after the second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, or at least 14 days after a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine.

Full article

[njr]

^ GOOD!!!

[jo]

If you have purchased tickets for THE MUSIC MAN, you would have received a customized email from Telecharge ( indicating date of performance) and order #) but only if ticket date is within October 31, 2021 latest date. As the ticket dates have been all rescheduled, the mentioned dates refer to the first tranche of orders.

I posted a copy on the Music Man thread.

Jo

[jo]

From Bloomberg


www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-03/broadway-is-coming-back-in-september-but-can-it-stay-open

Broadway Is Coming Back In September. But Can It Stay Open?

Even without the delta variant, New York theater faces daunting financial odds.



By James Tarmy
August 3, 2021, 5:51 PM GMT+8



After The Phantom of the Opera shut down with the rest of Broadway in March 2020, John Riddle was overcome with relief. “We do shows eight times a week, and you never really have a day off,” says the actor, who plays Raoul, one of the leads. “So for the first two weeks, it was glorious.”

A year and a half later, the thrill has worn off. Riddle, who stayed in New York for much of the pandemic doing street performances, teaching classes on Zoom, and getting the odd outdoor gig, is set to return to rehearsals on Sept. 27 in anticipation of Phantom’s reopening on Oct. 22. But he’s begun to eye Covid‑19-related cancelations in London and Australia with concern. “Now that I have a return date, I’ve sort of based my life around it,” he says. “There’s a little thing in the back of my mind that hopes the world gets it together for our health and safety, but also to bring Broadway back.”

The world has a long way to go. Covid cases are rising in almost every country that tracks them, and New York, which for months had seen case numbers trend downward, is grappling with a series of troubling upswings in all five boroughs. But a smattering of shows still plan to open in September, including Hamilton, The Lion King, Wicked, and Chicago. Dozens more are set to follow through December.



“A week ago, there was great optimism that by Sept. 14 we would be raring to go,” says Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League, the national trade organization for the industry, speaking in late July. “Now, I would say there’s cautious optimism, what with the delta variant and the many forms of communication coming out that there’ve been breakthrough cases” among vaccinated people. On July 30, Broadway announced that audiences and performers will be required to be vaccinated and that masks must be worn for all performances. But uncertainty about the delta variant could keep people out of crowded theaters, masks or no, and that’s assuming the city and state don’t shut down large gatherings altogether.

So players across the industry are beginning to ask themselves how long they can stay open. “It’s very simple,” says St. Martin: “the way we stay open during any other time, which is with most likely 75% of the seats or more being sold.”

Should ticket sales fall below those numbers, she says, Broadway marquees could quickly go dark. “If we open and go for more than two weeks with low occupancy, the likelihood is that many shows would have to close and most likely not be able to reopen,” St. Martin says.



Several of the shows, she continues, have some buffer because they got Shuttered Venue Operators Grants, part of the $900 billion stimulus package Congress passed in 2020. “I know some of our producers are putting some of that money in reserve to keep the show open,” she says.

There’s also assistance from the city and state in the form of the Empire State Musical and Theatrical Production Tax Credit Program, which provides payroll tax breaks up to 25%, with a $3 million cap per show for the first year. But no matter where the assistance is coming from, “if you really don’t sell any tickets,” says Rent and Six producer Kevin McCollum, “you have to close, and you can’t use the grant.”



Every show attracts a different audience, but the conventional wisdom, St. Martin says, is that during a typical year, 65% of Broadway’s audience is made up of tourists, about 15% of them international.

The remaining 35% of attendees come from the tri-state area, and their makeup varies. “I think the last full season,” she says, “we had 20% New Yorkers and 15% tri-state.” Tourism in 2021, however, is projected to be down by about half from 2019. Making up those numbers with only a regional audience will be hard.

Some shows could fare better than others, but not the ones you might think. Institutions such as The Lion King are “national and international brands,” says Eva Price, a multiple Tony Award-winning producer. Under normal circumstances, wide acclaim would make a steady flow of out-of-towners eager to sign up for a household name.

In a twist, these shows’ decades of success could hurt them. “In a show’s life span, its first year is almost always tri-state and local audiences,” Price says. “Just think about it: Thirty years later, it’s not a bunch of New Yorkers going to Phantom, it’s tourists.”

But Price’s Jagged Little Pill, which is based on music from the 1995 Alanis Morissette album of the same name, ran for only three and a half months before Covid shut it down. So she isn’t counting on tourists to keep the show running when it returns to Broadway on Oct. 2. “We feel that between the source material and the awards and the reviews, we have local audiences to make our way through,” she says. “And that’s the five boroughs, as well as the tri-state area and Northeast Corridor.”

Even without the health and safety protocols necessary to make an audience feel safe, keeping a show open this fall will be a very different task than before. “Musicals historically outperform plays,” says Brian Moreland, the lead producer of Keenan Scott II’s highly anticipated play Thoughts of a Colored Man, which is set to open on Oct. 31. “They’re larger, you can get more people into the theater, and if there’s any type of language barrier, it’s OK to watch the singing and dancing.”

This fall, though, “musicals are at risk of suffering because of a lack of tourism—especially when you’re a long-running musical, where possibly you have exhausted the New York audience,” he continues. “Plays have the benefit of being smaller and more on-brand of a time and place.” When that happens, he continues, “it can really appeal to the New Yorker or domestic traveler.”



As long as Broadway stays open, producers will get creative about selling tickets. “The business model of shows will get better and improved when the audience gets wider and more inclusive,” Price says. “I don’t know what other people’s strategies are, but I don’t think it’s about selling less seats, or having fewer shows. It’s about increasing accessibility and building beyond the obvious theatergoing audience—beyond the audience that can afford $150 a ticket.”

That means hiring a marketing team that targets younger people, she says, and developing an audience “of different backgrounds and ethnicities and cultures and classes.”


The challenge for legacy productions, Price continues, is to “change the marketing so people know it’s for them, because the shows are that good.” That’s the thing, she says: Musicals like Phantom “have run for 20-plus years, not because they’re lucky, but because they’re astonishing feats of emotionality and creativity, and this is an opportunity for those shows to create new audiences.”

To date, things are looking good. Ticket sales across the board “have been brisk,” St. Martin says. “But we’re still a couple of months, even three or four months out. Brisk might not be enough.”

Phantom’s Riddle remains optimistic. “I have dates through at least January,” he says. “So right now I’m planning to show up eight times a week, and that’s how I’m approaching it until there’s nobody walking through the doors.”

[jo]

I had hoped to see it by the time I got to NYC! I was looking forward to hearing the beautiful musical score live in a stage production!

Its remaining producers were Diller and Geffen ( same team for The Music Man) but maybe the show did not have a Hugh Jackman to carry on as headliner. It was a divisive show because of the changes from the original stage and film versions...but it was already selling out at the time that Broadway closed.

I wonder.... that had things not change drastically for the Rudin productions -- that if he had been allowed to go through an anger management rehab lengthily and then allowed to return to his productions if this revival would have had a chance?

Not only drama critic Vincentelli...but regulars on BWW seem disappointed that it will not return to Broadway.

I am, too


Jo

[jo]

Official announcement --

It was announced today that Ivo van Hove's new production of West Side Story will not reopen on Broadway.

The following statement was released:

"It is with great regret that we are announcing today that the 2020 Broadway revival of West Side Story will not reopen. This difficult and painful decision comes after we have explored every possible path to a successful run, and unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, reopening is not a practical proposition. We thank all the brilliant, creative artists who brought West Side Story to life at the Broadway Theatre, even for so brief a time, especially the extraordinary acting company, 33 of whom made their Broadway debuts in this production."

- Kate Horton, Producer

Kate Horton is also the newly designated Executive Producer for The Music Man.


Jo

[jo]

build.broadwaynews.com/2021/08/09/broadway-shows-will-not-report-grosses-this-season/

Broadway shows will not report grosses this season
By Caitlin Huston -1 hour ago


Broadway shows will not publicly report grosses for the 2021-2022 season, the Broadway League said Monday.

The decision was made “based on many factors,” according to the League, but includes the “staggered roll-out of returning and new productions, and anticipated variations in performance schedules.” This means the season’s grosses could not be easily compared to past seasons.

The League plans to report grosses for the 2022-2023 Broadway season.

The decision not to report grosses comes as the Broadway industry rehabilitates itself after the theatrical shutdown. Productions face uncertainty around audience demand, with fewer tourists expected, and around the endpoint of the pandemic, as the number of COVID-19 cases related to the delta variant rise.

There are more than 40 Broadway productions that have announced dates for the 2021-22 season. The first show back on Broadway, “Springsteen on Broadway,” began performances June 26 and was recently followed by “Pass Over,” which began previews Aug. 4.

Two more, “Hadestown” and “Waitress” plan to begin performances Sept. 2, ahead of Sept. 14, when shows including “Hamilton,” “Wicked,” “The Lion King,” “Chicago” usher in a broader reopening.

As of Monday, several shows, including “Chicago,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Mrs. Doubtfire” and more had set schedules that included several weeks with fewer than the typical eight shows.

In November 2020, Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin said the Broadway League would not publish grosses if the industry did not have a “full season.” A traditional season typically includes 52 weeks and runs from the first week of June through the end of May of the following year.

The practice of publicly reporting grosses is voluntary on behalf of the productions, but has traditionally been followed by most Broadway shows. Individual shows could still choose to release their own box office numbers.

[jo]

[jo]

broadwaynews.com/2021/08/11/tony-awards-to-take-place-at-the-winter-garden-theatre/

The 2019-2020 Tony Awards will be held at the Winter Garden Theatre this September in front of an audience.

The Tony Awards will also host a viewing party, including live entertainment and hosts, for industry members at the Broadway Theatre. A tented after-party will follow, according to the invite.

All guests will need to provide proof of vaccination for entry and both events have set a black tie dress code. The details were sent to Tony voters in invites Wednesday and confirmed by a spokesperson for the Tony Awards.

Details on what will take place in the Winter Garden Theatre remain unclear. The Tony Awards had previously announced that the ceremony will be held Sept. 26, 2021, in a two-part event airing across different CBS platforms.

At 7 p.m. that night, a presentation of awards is scheduled to air on Paramount+. At 9 p.m., CBS is scheduled to air a special featuring performances from the Tony-nominated musicals, as well as a live presentation of the awards for Best Play, Best Revival of a Play and Best Musical.

A spokesperson for the Tony Awards did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the details of the invite.

The Winter Garden Theatre is home to “The Music Man,” which is scheduled to begin performances Dec. 20. The Broadway Theatre was previously home to “West Side Story,” which announced Monday that it will not reopen.

In recent years, the Tony Awards ceremony has been held at Radio City Music Hall. The 2019-2020 Tony Awards were originally scheduled to take place at Radio City Music Hall on June 7, 2020, but the event was postponed by the pandemic.

Due to the pandemic, Tony Award organizers decided to only consider productions in a shortened season, with an eligibility cut-off date of Feb. 19, 2020. Voting for the 18 eligible productions took place in March 2021.

The Tony Awards ceremony has been broadcast on CBS since 1978. This is the first time the event will air on the new subscription service Paramount+.

[jo]

deadline.com/2021/08/this-is-broadway-marketing-campaign-oprah-winfrey-video-1234823240/#comment-3244550

BREAKING NEWS
‘This Is Broadway’ Campaign Unites Industry – And Oprah Winfrey – In Urging Theatergoers Back

By Greg Evans
Associate Editor/Broadway Critic

@gregevans5

‘This Is Broadway’ Campaign Unites Industry – And Oprah Winfrey – In Urging Theatergoers Back



August 30, 2021 7:14am


UPDATE, with video Broadway producers are joining forces with one another, with unions, and even with Oprah Winfrey to urge potentially jittery theatergoers back into seats, with a new marketing campaign called “This Is Broadway” launching today.





A centerpiece of the campaign, which is sponsored by the Broadway League, will be a two-and-a-half-minute video featuring past and current Broadway shows – around 100 in all – melding current and archival clips encompassing 735 stars (including Hugh Jackman, Bruce Springsteen, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sara Bareilles, Billy Porter, Angela Lansbury, Ethel Merman, James Earl Jones and Denzel Washington). Watch it above.


According to the League, the effort marks the first time that the archival footage was made available to the industry, an accomplishment made possible through an agreement between producers and key labor unions, all designed to repopulate Broadway’s theaters after what will be by September the 18-month Covid shutdown.


The video, narrated by Winfrey, is a dazzling montage of Broadway past and present – emphasis on present – and includes audio samples of musical numbers from current shows The Lion King, Hamilton, The Phantom of the Opera, David Byrne’s American Utopia and Wicked, along with beloved classics including, among others, Angela Lansbury singing “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” (Gypsy), Patti LuPone belting “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” (Evita), Elaine Stritch (“Ladies Who Lunch” from Company), and ensembles from A Chorus Line (“One”), Rent (“Seasons of Love”), and Sweet Charity (“Big Spender”).

The video campaign will begin its roll-out on Monday, appearing on screens throughout New York City’s subway and bus stations, in taxis, and a Times Square electronic cube. Though targeted toward East Coasters with an existing taste for theater (“This is Broadway and we can’t wait to welcome you home,” Winfrey says at the end), the video’s reach will expand beyond the five boroughs with placement on major social media platforms and media sites.

Also part of the League’s campaign (which The New York Times has reported cost $1.5 million) is a This Is Broadway website, a sort-of one-stop-shopping destination with descriptions of current Broadway shows, links to ticket sales, and information about Covid safety protocols (all 41 Broadway venues require proof of vaccination and the wearing of masks). The site features a recommendation engine built on five years of data and ticket sale information, and will have the capability to make accurate show recommendations. The website also will house the campaign film and real time updates regarding Broadway’s return.


The video campaign follows the League’s announcement earlier this week of a three-day, free outdoor “Curtain Up!” festival and concert heralding the reopening of Broadway. The event begins Friday, Sept. 17 in Times Square and runs through Sunday, Sept. 19. The culmination will be a concert celebrating what organizers describe as “the entirety of the Broadway industry.” Specific participants and performers have not yet been announced.

Other aspect of the “This Is Broadway” campaign will include an August 30 lighting (in red) of the Empire State Building, and the launch of a League-sponsored contest in which one winner will receive four tickets to every Broadway show in the 2021-2022 season. The prize covers 37 shows, with a total value of $18,000. Details to follow.

The “This Is Broadway” campaign will run through the end of the year.

[jo]

I have added my reply as I find most of the responses very negative - probably coming from non-regular theatregoers? At least so another side can be heard?

I use this username when posting about the theatre and films.

Applause
on August 30, 2021 5:19 pm
I have sets of tickets for The Music Man ( rescheduled after 2 pandemic delays) -as theatregoing with friends and relatives who like Broadway is one way that makes my trips to NYC always memorable. I have scheduled them for June 2022 as I am travelling from across the world and hoping the Covid-19 situation has stabilized somehow by that time. It is also something to look forward to during this weary and dreary time spent in a pandemic! Maybe it is just a matter of re-allocating one’s resources ( as surely one has been able to save from activities not needed or not available during the pandemic) — to be able to afford a trip to NYC ( not just for Broadway but for all the other city attractions that I always look forward to) and see shows, among select or focused activities for this trip.

[jo]

Can you even spot Hugh Jackman in the video?






After glinting and glinting for more than I can bear (*exaggerated sigh*) - I think I spot him standing before a microphone at around 2'03'-2'04"-2''05.

Many theatre people assume that The Music Man will be one of the, if not the, major bestsellers for the coming season -- so why are they hiding Hugh in that series of past, returning and new shows? He is also the one major attraction who can attract both theatre and film audiences to come and see Wolverine/TheGreatestShowman sing and dance

And he is likely the major tourist draw, domestic and overseas theatre audiences because he is a well-known attraction!

He is mentioned in the article as the first attraction because it was written by DEADLINE.COM, which knows his value as a star attraction.

Broadway fully knows that all his shows have been hits ( broke break-even levels)!

Jo