Broadway to reopen Sept 14 — Page 6

TBH, I won't be convinced on any of the shows opening Sept/Oct until I'm sitting in the theater!

I almost pulled the Trigger on Chicago--I want my first visit back to be a classic Broadway musical (I wish Phantom was opening sooner). Alas, I can't bring myself to do it. Six it is...for now.

I've been waiting for YEARS now to see Chicago again, but every time I find myself able to go, Amra is back as Velma.

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "Hogan, does your opinion change at all with the recent reports of the city possibly offering tourists the J&J vaccine? Genuinely curious about this and the impact it could have on Broadway."

Interesting question, but not really. Already, vaccine availability is pretty ubiquitous everywhere (the problem now is getting people to roll up their sleeve) and that situation is going to increase so no one needs to come to NYC to get vaccinated and I can't imagine someone coming here for a vacation and waiting to get a shot (from which their plans may be derailed for a day or two by side effects). It's a typical DeBlasio BS idea.

JGPR2 said: ""I'm fine with only people who have been vaccinated being allowed in theaters. Stupid people don't get to experience the magic. Period."

So teenagers under 16 can't go to shows, gotcha."

I guess the same would go for people with anaphylaxis who despite wanting to get vaccinated, have a legit reason they can't get vaccinated. I think it'll be likely that patrons will be allowed if they're

a) vaccinated

or

b) present a negative covid test

I'm pretty sure Fosse's point was that there is no nexus between vaccinating someone while they visiting NYC and making theatres safe unless, I suppose, they are spending in excess of two weeks in the city. And note also that the passport apps will not give you a passport until more than 14 days after the last required shot.

Interesting that some of the shows have taken down their cast lists.

@bear I think you misapprehend the process yet to be undertaken over the next 4 months. You seem to be mistaking the producers' relentlessly out-of-the-gate PR for that process which depends, first and foremost, on the state and on the unions. You also are not considering that science is going to advance through that period.

Also, sometimes the practical renders choices meaningless. Even if theoretically possible, it is quickly going to become miserable to be working on or attending Broadway (with any frequency) without being vaccinated. If you want to understand why, look at the evolution as it relates to baseball. Starting next week, the unvaccinated will be segregated and socially distanced; already, the unvaccinated bear the burden and expense of getting tested within 72 hours of first pitch. Even if there is a choice (and I think producers will have no choice but to eliminate the choices for a variety of reasons), how many people will choose wasting time and money because of their rights. {We are going to see these things increasingly in more and more ways, until all but the most intrepid Trumpies will throw in the towel.} And note also something else I have said before: the Venn diagram between even casual theatre goers and anti-vaxxers has little cross-over, and we can show that with data.

You're not a skunk. Statements like yours explain why this cannot be a problem. You are going to be the belle of the ball

Baseball is 6 weeks in, outdoors, and only now relaxing social distancing. Broadway is 4 months away, indoors, and can't have social distancing. But for those of us who have followed both, the process has been evolving, one step at a time, based on science. I expect the same. The theatre district is currently experiencing hardly any positivity (well under 1%) and only 1-2 new cases a day. The 1st shot vaccination rate is 84% (78% if you include the ineligible population). That influences things, but what will that number be in another month? The goal of the industry is to make everyone comfortable to return, because it is literally an existential baseline for many shows.

HogansHero said: "Baseball is 6 weeks in, outdoors, and only now relaxing social distancing. Broadway is 4 months away, indoors, and can't have social distancing. But for those of us who have followed both, the process has been evolving, one step at a time, based on science. I expect the same. The theatre district is currently experiencing hardly any positivity (well under 1%) and only 1-2 new cases a day. The 1st shot vaccination rate is 84% (78% if you include the ineligible population). That influences things, but what will that number be in another month? The goal of the industry is to make everyone comfortable to return, because it is literally an existential baseline for many shows."

Thursday's CDC news and the tentative stories about Hamilton and other shows leave me increasingly convinced that Broadway is just going to let it up. Part of the reason, I think, is that the alternatives are almost as impractical as social distancing.

Nobody can stop people filming shows, at least without a lot of effort. Enforcing a mask mandate... good luck. And the vaccination requirement that you and I have assumed would happen... I am less sure about that too, unless Broadway shows turn into superspreader events that kill audience members or make a bunch of people seriously ill. New York wants tourists to return, and so the state's own requirements for events (ballgames and concert venues) will be difficult to apply to visitors from other states or countries without a lot of effort.

There are four months between now and Sept. 14, and maybe I'm too skeptical about the success of vaccine efforts or a more concerted effort to require proof of vaccination or negative tests. Jeffrey Seller's comment about not requiring Hamilton patrons to be vaccinated feels like a tell. Did he really just shoot off his mouth without talking to the landlord or key government officials? I doubt it but could be wrong.

I know the industry and the government is going to leave open the possibility of requiring vaccinations and tests. But I just don't think it's going to happen unless the initial flurry of people eager to see a show peters out quickly or there are serious health/PR problems.

As for me, I wasn't planning a fall/winter trip anyway so my opinion is irrelevant. But what would make me feel comfortable to return (vaccination and mask requirements, at least at first) would be a turn-off for many others.

So I'll wait and watch and try to catch a few local shows if safety protocols are followed, CDC be damned. And for everyone's sake, I hope my concerns are unfounded.