Posted: 7/23/21 at 6:54pm
We shall see. Like I said, I support vaccinated people taking any other precautions they deem necessary. I absolutely plan on wearing my mask at my September shows (if they happen), whether it's required or not.
Posted: 7/23/21 at 9:02pm
As long as a single Covid case on the cast and crew can close a show down (as happened with Merry Wives Of Windsor) then Broadway won't reopen. If a vaccinated person truly has little reason to worry about catching Covid, then that should be treated that as a minor event.
Posted: 7/23/21 at 9:06pm
Posted: 7/23/21 at 9:15pm
With regards to Pass Over, which is relevant, as the first show opening, an epidemiologist associated with the show stated specifically that a positive case within the cast wouldn't shut the show down. That was comforting.
Posted: 7/24/21 at 10:30am
Comforting indeed. Part of the benefit (at least for us Yankees!) of London going first is that producers this side of the pond can put plans in place that will avoid the constant stop-start-stop that's happening over there. I like Hairspray's idea of having a set of 10 swings, who are presumably not on site, who can swing in to replace a cast member who tested positive.
Audiences, of course, are their own thing. I'm not sure what the contact tracing policy will be, but I'm willing to bet that more performances than not will have at least one person who is unknowingly infected in attendance - which means, as others have pointed out, that a "get vaxxed or go home" policy is the only way forward.
Posted: 7/24/21 at 10:49am
It's important to realize that Broadway shows need to be profitable. A set of 10 swings might be a great idea, but no Broadway producer would be pay for it.
Posted: 7/24/21 at 11:31am
Sutton Ross said: "Their plan on Broadway is to send the person home and go on with the show. They won't cancel shows. "
What is the Broadway plan? If someone on site is positive, isn’t everyone at risk?
Posted: 7/24/21 at 12:14pm
I told you the Broadway plan. Covid, like the flu, is here forever. Broadway needs to reopen and that is the only path forward.
Posted: 7/24/21 at 12:23pm
Sutton Ross said: "I told you the Broadway plan. Covid, like the flu, is here forever. Broadway needs to reopen and that is the only path forward."
I know Sutton, and I agree with you. I just wondered if the actual protocols are public. I don’t see Broadway having 10 swings.
Posted: 7/24/21 at 12:25pm
They should, but I agree that won't happen. I don't think their protocols are public yet, and I will try to find the article where I read the epidemiologist who said that.
Posted: 7/24/21 at 12:41pm
Bettyboy72 said: "Sutton Ross said: "I told you the Broadway plan. Covid, like the flu, is here forever. Broadway needs to reopen and that is the only path forward."
I know Sutton, and I agree with you. I just wondered if the actual protocols are public. I don’t see Broadway having 10 swings."
If only there could be 10 swings on a show! I’d call out every 5 show weekend
Posted: 7/24/21 at 2:59pm
Sutton Ross said: "Their plan on Broadway is to send the person home and go on with the show. They won't cancel shows. "
That's not even a plan; no real business dependent on a dozen or so performers will have an only route to send the infected home and somehow keep moving on with the show. That's a recipe for disaster.
Posted: 7/24/21 at 3:16pm
Cool story bro. Yet, they cannot continue to postpone Broadway forever. So, it makes perfect sense to me. Send one home and the show goes on for everyone else including the audience. It's not that hard to comprehend why, going forward, that would be their plan.
Feel free to not to attend any shows or concerts for the rest of your life.
Posted: 7/24/21 at 4:08pm
Sutton Ross said: "Yet, they cannot continue to postpone Broadway forever.
Right, and the solution is to let people get sick because of course a Broadway show > the health of its cast.
So, it makes perfect sense to me.
Sounds like a personal problem.
Send one home and the show goes on for everyone else including the audience. It's not that hard to comprehend why, going forward, that would be their plan.
And if 2, 3, 4, 5 get sick? LOL It's hard to comprehend how that would be anyone's plan. Of course, it's not. Just take your seat and wait patiently for the curtain to rise.
Posted: 7/24/21 at 4:25pm
Sutton Ross said: "Cool story bro. Yet, they cannot continue to postpone Broadway forever. So, it makes perfect sense to me. Send one home and the show goes on for everyone else including the audience. It's not that hard to comprehend why, going forward, that would be their plan.
Feel free to not to attend any shows or concerts for the rest of your life."
Well I won't attend the performances cancelled due to this genius plan, that I'm sure you came up with yourself.
Posted: 7/24/21 at 4:54pm
Posted: 7/24/21 at 5:49pm
Well I won't attend the performances cancelled due to this genius plan, that I'm sure you came up with yourself."
Lolzzz. Nobody cares. Idina says hi, tho!
Kisses.
Posted: 7/24/21 at 7:02pm
blaxx said: "Sutton Ross said: "Their plan on Broadway is to send the person home and go on with the show. They won't cancel shows. "
That's not even a plan; no real business dependent on a dozen or so performers will have an only route to send the infected home and somehow keep moving on with the show. That's a recipe for disaster."
I think baseball is doing this now? Positive team members are isolated, but the team continues on. Pass Over only has 3 cast members, not sure the swing or understudy situation.
Posted: 7/24/21 at 7:15pm
IAMREADING said: "blaxx said: "Sutton Ross said: "Their plan on Broadway is to send the person home and go on with the show. They won't cancel shows. "
That's not even a plan; no real business dependent on a dozen or so performers will have an only route to send the infected home and somehow keep moving on with the show. That's a recipe for disaster."
I think baseball is doing this now? Positive team members are isolated, but the team continues on. Pass Over only has 3 cast members, not sure the swing or understudy situation."
Baseball has an average of 15-20 people on the bench ready to play, love. Broadway, if lucky, has 2-3 people who know one track. If 3-4 cast members are infected and put at risk stage management, technicians, etc. there is no bench.
Yes, Broadway will go on as sure as performances of certain shows are bound to be cancelled.
Updated On: 7/24/21 at 07:15 PM
Posted: 7/24/21 at 7:35pm
Sutton Ross said: "Their plan on Broadway is to send the person home and go on with the show. They won't cancel shows. "
Not understanding the hate this idea is getting. It seems to make the most sense to me and is consistent with CDC guidance re: exposures when vaccinated.
Posted: 7/24/21 at 8:23pm
kade.ivy said: "Sutton Ross said: "Their plan on Broadway is to send the person home and go on with the show. They won't cancel shows. "
Not understanding the hate this idea is getting. It seems to make the most sense to me and is consistent with CDC guidance re: exposures when vaccinated."
It's naive and unworkable. CDC is not in the business of solving the challenges of Broadway producers in the age of Covid and Sutton is due a dose of what Fauci said to Rand Paul this week. The butts of theatregoers will get back in those uncomfortable seats soon enough but not by means of misguided ideas.
Posted: 7/24/21 at 9:18pm
Not understanding the hate this idea is getting. It seems to make the most sense to me and is consistent with CDC guidance re: exposures when vaccinated.
Exactly. Theaters cannot be closed forever, and this is where it is headed. People pay for air travel, hotels, restaurants, and theater tickets. People are now spendings thousands of dollars to come to NYC this Fall. They cannot cancel a show every single time there is a break through case in the theater. It will no longer be a business. Use your heads, it's pretty simple.
Producers know that which is why two epidemiologists spoke out and agreed that this is the path forward. Period.
Updated On: 7/24/21 at 09:18 PM
Posted: 7/24/21 at 9:32pm
I never thought I’d say this, but other companies/producers should start to follow the NFL’s lead.
“
If an unvaccinated player or staff member is shown to have caused an outbreak that forces a schedule change, the team experiencing the outbreak will be held financially responsible for the other club’s expenses, the memo said. If the game cannot be rescheduled, the team experiencing the outbreak will forfeit.
For playoff-seeding purposes, that team will be credited with a loss, while the other will be credited with a win. If an outbreak occurs among vaccinated individuals in a “breakthrough” infection, the N.F.L. will try to minimize the competitive and fiscal disruption for both teams. The terms of the memo were agreed upon with the N.F.L. Players Association, said Dawn Aponte, the league’s chief football administrative officer.”
Posted: 7/24/21 at 11:31pm
blaxx said: "IAMREADING said: "blaxx said: "Sutton Ross said: "Their plan on Broadway is to send the person home and go on with the show. They won't cancel shows. "
That's not even a plan; no real business dependent on a dozen or so performers will have an only route to send the infected home and somehow keep moving on with the show. That's a recipe for disaster."
I think baseball is doing this now? Positive team members are isolated, but the team continues on. Pass Over only has 3 cast members, not sure the swing or understudy situation."
Baseball has an average of 15-20 people on the bench ready to play, love. Broadway, if lucky, has 2-3 people who know one track. If 3-4 cast members are infected and put at risk stage management, technicians, etc. there is no bench.
Yes, Broadway will go on as sure as performances of certain shows are bound to be cancelled."
Merry Wives went back on tonight with 6 understudies.
Besides dealing with the COVID case, they probably had to prep those going into tracks (since they already had an understudy on for Falstaff, it seems like they had to get creative based on the notice on their online program) So, yeah, the show could go on after taking care of the person with COVID but as others have mentioned, they need a pretty deep bench in order to move forward with actual shows if a certain number of people are out.
Posted: 7/26/21 at 10:19am
Sutton Ross said: "Their plan on Broadway is to send the person home and go on with the show. They won't cancel shows."
This is the right plan, FWIW.
Three points:
1. Vaccinated people are as protected from COVID now as they will ever be.
2. COVID is going to be endemic. It will be with us for the rest of our lives.
3. Delta is sufficiently contagious that everyone will be exposed to it, repeatedly, forever.
What this means is that any non-pharmaceutical intervention (i.e. shutting down an entire show) is pointless. It doesn't make anyone safer. At best, it may just defer exposure.
With those facts on the table, the only path forward is to treat it like every other endemic, non-deadly (to vaccinated people) virus that we pass around on a regular basis. Like other diseases, if there is an outbreak in the cast, then perhaps it makes sense to cancel the show if they physically don't have enough people to go on, but preemptively shutting down won't accomplish anything from a safety or financial perspective.
