It was due to COVID cases. Several understudies, standbys, and swings have been on the last number of performances to keep the show going before tonight.
According to SeatGeek, the 5/14 matinee has also been cancelled.
I'd be very surprised if these last-minute cancellations weren't part of why Broadway is struggling right now. If I'm a casual ticket-buyer, and not a "theatre person," I'm not likely gonna buy a ticket for a show that might get cancelled even after I arrive to the theatre, leaving me with no time to pivot, and buy a ticket for something else.
To clarify: This is only about last-minute cancellations, when people are already in their seats. Not cancellations that are announced in advance, which give people time to see something else.
EDSOSLO858 said: "It was due to COVID cases. Several understudies, standbys, and swings have been on the last number of performances to keep the show going before tonight.”
Dolly80 said: "How can they be testing so late that an audience is SAT waiting .. and then they cancel? Absolute madness."
I’m not saying this is what happened for this particular show, but generally speaking: if you don’t want to pay your employees to test at a specific time of day, you’re rolling the dice on their test results when they show up for work.
Fosse76 said: "Dolly80 said: "How can they be testing so late that an audience is SAT waiting .. and then they cancel? Absolute madness."
They re-test. It's those results that they wait for."
Oh wait, so it's conscious??
For months now, I've thought any last-minute cancellations were a result of lab backlogs or something like that. Which is still irritating, but I've at least given them the benefit of the doubt, that it might be something unintentional. But they're doing this with full knowledge that it could very well lead to a cancelled show when audience members are already seated (again, leaving them unable to get a ticket for something else)? Talk about blatant disregard for the audience.
I'm not gonna go all "we pay your salary," but come on...at least a little bit of courtesy for people who make their way out to see the show doesn't seem like an unreasonable ask. Particularly people who come in from out of town.
People can whine all they want about mask mandates (which isn't even cumbersome at this point), but this is the real issue right now. If they announced that the mask mandate was being made permanent, but that occurrences like this were a thing of the past, I would be absolutely thrilled. These last-minute cancellations are going to make people think twice about buying Broadway tickets, and that is not a quick fix.
It’s not unheard of. Britney Coleman barely got to go on as Bobbie in Company last month because of testing issues (faulty/false positive and then only got the green light ten minutes to places for her debut).
In all honesty, I would rather they cancel then put on more covers (if any are available) and then risk infecting more people and having to cancel more performances.
Don’t miss your chance to catch the beautiful Paloma Garcia-Lee (Graziella in Spielberg’s “West Side Story” ) - a Moulin Rouge! OG - in the ensemble, now thru May 22 only!