In the wake of coronavirus cases rising in New York, Governor Cuomo has mandated that all Broadway theaters will be closed effective immediately. The United States has experienced a sudden surge in precautionary measures in the last week. All travel to Europe from the United States has been banned. Events that require large gatherings of people like SXSW 2020, Coachella, and New York City's Saint Patrick's Day Parade have all been either postponed or canceled. Additionally, massive industries such as the NHL, NBA, Disneyland, and now Broadway will entirely shut down for the time being.
Albany bureau chief for the NY Times, Jesse McKinley, tweeted that all Broadway theaters will officially shut down at 5 PM/EST. This is due to Governor Cuomo's ruling that all gatherings of over 500 people be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The definition of a Broadway theater is a theater that seats over 500 people. While Cuomo's new ruling affects all of Broadway, smaller off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway theaters are still permitted to run as planned. Broadway will remain shut down until April 12, 2020. That date may extend if need be.
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Broadway is currently New York City's most prominent tourist industry. Tourists travel from all over the world to see their favorite musical like Wicked, Lion King, and Phantom of the Opera performed live. Tourists will miss out on the best of NYC; the theater industry will suffer after refunding tickets, and actors and theater employees are out of work. Still, precautionary measures must be taken to end this pandemic. Tickets for popular musicals like Lin Manuel Miranda's Tony-winning Hamilton can go beyond $1,000, so the financial impact of this shut down is certain to be immense.
Speaking of Hamilton, it was also reported by CBSLA that the Hollywood Pantages Theatre is suspending all performances of Hamilton through March 31. The musical was scheduled to open the evening of the announced postponement, but ticket holders will receive an automatic refund instead.
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