From Hamilton To Aladdin, big shows come back to life in midtown Manhattan. Private session since March 2020, the public is at the rendezvous.
The Lion has been living again since last night. It had been nearly a year and a half since the big day crowds had obscured the sidewalks of Broadway, right in the middle of New York. The Lion King , Chicago , Hamilton , the major musicals of the moment made their comeback on Tuesday at historic addresses in midtown Manhattan. Deserted since the sudden outbreak of the coronavirus in the United States 18 months ago, these blockbusters of the stage have been full on the occasion of the return to business of the most prestigious theaters in the city. The climax with fanfare of a gradual reopening of places of culture orchestrated since the beginning of the month in New York City.
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“It’s a big night for the return from New York City”, said Bill de Blasio triumphantly. The mayor of the megalopolis can relish. Despite the epidemic surge caused in the United States and around the world by the Delta variant of Covid-19, the last sectors of culture are reopening in New York. The day before, the MET gala, the social event that had bypassed its 2020 edition, took place without a hitch or accident on Monday evening, bringing back a cohort of stars as well as their procession of glamor and dreams in the city. In Times Square, the return of Broadway is also symbolized by the reopening of the kiosk on Tuesday, which allows you to buy tickets the same day and hope for some discounts on the price of seats. In general, a not insignificant affair, a ticket exceeding on average the 100 dollars.
The expensive entry to the shows, however, did not dissuade the big day crowds from flocking to the hall and, above all, to the kiosk and its coveted tickets. Coming with her daughter from Boston, Jenni Milanoski has been in line since 5:30 am Tuesday morning to hope to buy a ticket for Hamilton, at the Richard Rodgers Theater, near Times Square. “I love this show so much. I saw it 11 times, she told AFP. The energy there will be today will be great! ” On the Broadway.com website, The Lion King, Aladdin and Hamilton are sold out on Wednesday.
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Vaccination obligation
The return to normal Broadway programming is, however, being organized in strict compliance with health and, above all, vaccine conditions. All spectators thus have the obligation to be vaccinated, like artists, technicians and all staff. Spectators must also wear a mask during the performance. “I think I will feel a lot more comfortable. We have copies of our vaccination cards that we used to get into a few restaurants here in NYC with no problem, so that’s okay.Angela Mecca, 65, from upstate New York, told AFP. We try to come every year to see a few plays, so the fact that it opens again is wonderful. We missed it. There is no such excitement as this ”, she added.
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Broadway was generating around $ 33 million in revenue per week from 31 shows before Covid-19 shut down this New York cultural lung. While the pandemic has killed some 34,000 people in the cultural and economic capital of the United States, the resumption of performances comes as the city still suffers from a huge shortage of tourists, especially foreigners, who normally make up two-thirds of the public. of Broadway.
Despite everything, the producers say they are optimistic, convinced that the theaters will be full thanks to New Yorkers and American tourists. “When we look at the postal codes of people who buy tickets, it encourages us, they come from all over the East Coast”, for her part assured last week to AFP Sue Frost, one of the producers of the musical Come from Away. For its resumption, on September 21, the play, which evokes the attacks of September 11, 2001, is also sold out.
SEE ALSO – In New York, Broadway artists perform in Times Square one year after theaters close (3/13/2021)
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