Broadway shows announce fall return, but Canadian productions still in limbo

After the industry's longest hiatus in history, some ofBroadway's top shows have announced that familiarrefrain: The show must go on.

Hamilton,Wicked,The Lion KingandCanadian musicalCome From Awaysaid they will resume performances in the fall, after New York Gov.Andrew Cuomoannounced public health restrictionsin the state would be liftedon Sept.14.

Shows will be allowed to reopen at 100 per cent capacity, Cuomo said, and tickets are now on sale.

"This rare alliance between three of Broadway's fan favourites sends a message that Broadway is united in its commitment to ending a devastating period of hardship for the tens of thousands who make their living directly on Broadway shows and the tens of thousands in dependent industries,"reads a newsrelease from the producers ofHamilton, Wickedand The Lion King.

The three shows are among Broadway's biggest, but other productions have also resumed ticket sales. Musicals that have confirmed runsin SeptemberincludeChicago, Aladdinand the new showSix.The Phantom of the Operapreviously announced itwould return in October, while showsMean Girls, FrozenandHarry Potter and the Cursed Childhad already said they didn't plan to remount performances in New York despite the fall reopening of Broadway.

WATCH |Broadway shows to reopen this fall:

Broadway shows to reopen this fall

3 years ago

Duration 6:51

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says tickets to Broadway shows will go on sale Thursday for performances beginning on Sept. 14. Theatres have been closed because of COVID-19 since March 12, 2020.

Dear Evan Hansen,DianaandMrs. Doubtfireare planning to welcome audiences for their official openings in December.

Selling tickets now allows producers to gauge interest in their shows. Is there thunderous demand or is it more tepid? How enduring is the interest? Once producers get answers and much-needed cash from interested theatre-goers they can plan. Shows that receivea lukewarm response may need to invest in more advertising or change it up.

Broadway shows thrive on tourists. They accounted forroughly two-thirds of the people in the seats before the pandemic struck. Producers are banking that visitor numbers will be up by fall. The hope is that theatre-lovers, both tourists and New Yorkers, are eager for Broadway's return.

"The moment those theatre lights go down and the stage lights come up is probably going to be one of the most emotional moments in theatre in New York. And I can't wait to be standing in my spot in the back of the theatre," said Stacey Mindich, the lead producer of Dear Evan Hansen.

Canadian show dates still tentative

The situation in Canada, meanwhile, is far less certain. In Toronto, the Ed Mirvish Theatreannounced in early May thatit hoped Hamilton, which was interrupted during previews in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic, would resume in roughly 18 months. WhenHarry Potter and the Cursed Child was first postponed, organizers said it would be delayed until 2021, but there have been no official updates and tickets are not currently on sale.

And whileCome From Awayhas announced its Broadway run, the Toronto production currently has no planned date to resume.

Elsewhere,Jesus Christ Superstarhas shows scheduled for fall runs in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton, whileAnastasiais scheduled to begin its tour in Ottawa in November.

In an email to CBCNews, Mirvish Productions director of sales John Karastamatissaidit is currently "impossible to make an accurate prediction" about when shows would be able to resume in the city.

But the fact theatre is resuming in other locations, such asNew York and in the U.K., is helpful, providing a test run for Canadian theatre-goers to observe how the industry will look post-pandemic.

"We can learn from them, and we can point to their (hopefully) successful reopening so that our audiences will be even more confident about the safety of returning to live performances here," Karastamatiswrote.

Healso said that if the "vast majority of adults" in Ontario are vaccinated by early June, with secondshots following soon afterward, there is a chance that some shows could make it to the stage in Toronto by November or December. Even if that were possible, theatres would not be at full capacity initiallyand audiences would be masked.

Restarting a show isn'tlike flipping a light switch though, especially when it comes to a big musical. Cast members may have left, requiring new hiring. Orchestras and ensembles must re-learn their parts, choreographers need the cast in the room to synchronize and costumers need to check fittings. Producers say the task is like opening a show from scratch.

The pandemic has also added new safety concernsfor everything from handling props to theatre cleaning. Broadway seats are very close together, and the venues are not particularly airy or spacious. Just getting inside before the pandemic required standing in a long line and cramming into entrances.

Audiences must adjust

Audiences will also have to adjust. Actor Katharine McPhee wondered about small thingslike folks coughing during a show. That used to be annoying; now it may be triggering.

"I feel like it's going to take a long time for people to not have some trauma connected to us all being fearful," she said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Another challenge is the fact physical distancing isnot really economically feasible for the 41 Broadway theatres. The financial demands simply don't favour keeping many seats purposefully empty.

The average operating costs for a play are about $300,000 US per week, while weekly costs run $600,000 US for musicals. Conventional wisdom is that many shows need to sell at least 80 per centof tickets just to break even.

Figuring out ticket pricing will also be tricky.Should there be regular prices initially and then deep discounts later in the fall to attract more wary customers? Disney is trying to lure customers by promising to pay all Ticketmaster fees and offering skittish ticket-buyers the freedom to exchange or even cancel tickets at no charge.

There's going to be a lot of number-crunching from now until fall.