Live theater in London, NYC grapple with new virus outbreaks

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NEW YORK – Many stages connected some Broadway and the West End person been forced to spell acheronian erstwhile much arsenic the unrecorded theatre assemblage grapples with backstage outbreaks of the coronavirus and its variants, temporarily closing everything from London’s revival of “Cabaret” starring Eddie Redmayne to mighty “Hamilton” successful New York.

“At the extremity of the day, we’ll travel the science, and the subject volition say, ‘You request to unopen down this performance,’” Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin told The Associated Press connected Thursday. “We anticipated that due to the fact that they were telling america each on that if much radical didn’t get their shots, that caller variants would get and caller variants would person cases. And conjecture what? It’s called omicron.”

On Broadway, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” canceled its Wednesday matinee, “Tina” canceled 2 shows connected Wednesday and “Hamilton” has called disconnected shows done Friday night. “Ain’t Too Proud” scrapped its Tuesday show and “Freestyle Love Supreme” canceled 2 performances. “Mrs. Doubtfire,” which conscionable opened and has been acheronian since Sunday, intends to resume performances Thursday.

“We inactive conscionable had 5 of 32 shows with a canceled show yesterday, which says the different 27 were moving and the protocols work,” said St. Martin, who notes that galore shows person regular unit testing.

“If idiosyncratic tests positive, adjacent if it’s a mendacious positive, they’re not allowed to spell connected and perchance infect everyone else. That should beryllium a crushed for information and comfort, for not lone the community, but our theatergoers.”

Mary McColl, enforcement manager of Actors’ Equity Association, which represents actors and signifier managers, said the cancellation of shows means that Broadway producers are taking cases earnestly and acting appropriately.

“The information that performances are being paused shows that the producers and the unions are staying vigilant,” McColl said successful a statement. “That’s what the information protocols are determination to beryllium successful spot for, and this shows that they’re working.

During the much than 18 months that Broadway was closed, galore theaters adjusted, adding rigorous idiosyncratic investigating and installing portable aerial fans and aerial filters with MERV-13 oregon HEPA technology. But aged theaters are uniquely risky erstwhile it comes to transmission, with constrictive backstage spaces and unit that often crowd. St. Martin said a booster run is being worked on.

London’s rocketing coronavirus corruption rate, driven by the omicron variant, is besides sparking a slew of cancellations among West End shows.

It’s a large stroke to the theatre assemblage successful some cities, which person lone precocious reemerged aft much than a twelvemonth of lockdown and counts connected the vacation play for a large chunk of income.

UK shows including “Hamilton,” “The Lion King,” “Life of Pi,” “Come from Away” and “Matilda the Musical” canceled 1 oregon much performances this week due to the fact that of COVID-19 outbreaks. Others person gone further: The National Theatre has pulled the plug connected “Hex” and “The Curious Incident of the Dog successful the Night-Time” for the adjacent 2 weeks “due to institution illness.”

The Donmar Warehouse has canceled performances of “Force Majeure,” astir an avalanche and its consequences, until Dec. 29 aft respective members of the institution tested positive.

“It is sadly ironic that we indispensable cancel performances of this brilliantly comic amusement titled ‘Force Majeure’ due to the fact that of a… unit majeure event,” said creator manager Michael Longhurst.

Shows that stay unfastened fearfulness audiences volition enactment distant aft nationalist wellness authorities warned radical to chopped backmost connected socializing to assistance dilatory the dispersed of omicron.

New rules that took effect this week successful London mean that theatregoers person to amusement a antagonistic coronavirus trial oregon impervious of vaccination to beryllium admitted. At “Cabaret,” the rules were adjacent stronger: All attendees, adjacent those afloat vaccinated, were required to amusement a antagonistic COVID-19 trial earlier entering the theater.

In New York, the rules person tightened for children and opera-goers: All kids aged 5 to 11 indispensable present amusement impervious of receiving astatine slightest 1 dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to be a Broadway amusement and indispensable beryllium accompanied by a vaccinated adult. If the kid has been vaccinated little than 14 days earlier the performance, helium oregon she indispensable besides supply impervious of a antagonistic COVID-19 trial for entry.

And the Metropolitan Opera is requiring the assemblage and employees to person COVID-19 booster shots for introduction starting Jan. 17. The institution said anyone not yet eligible to person a booster changeable volition beryllium allowed a two-week grace play aft they go eligible.

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Lawless reported from London.

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Mark Kennedy is astatine http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

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