Washington Post on Broadway's Return- Page 2

[LexiGirl]

Posted: 7/14/21 at 2:12pm

Sutton Ross said: "In talking to a Lincoln Center rep, they said Flying Over Sunset tickets will be going on sale "in a few weeks". So, hopefully that is correct. It's a brand new musical opening up after 18 months of Broadway being dark, so I really, really hope it succeeds despite no one being familiar with it."

Thanks for sharing, Sutton! I’m keeping a few spots open for it before buying anything else and can extend my trip earlier/later, if needed. So I’ll just continue to be patient!

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 7/14/21 at 2:17pm

Absolutely, have the best time! 

[bear88]

Posted: 7/15/21 at 5:12am

BroadwayRox3588, feel free to take a little credit for this.

I will see my first live performance since seeing Gatz in February 2020 not with a play or musical but with a performance by Eva Noblezada, who will be in San Francisco in a couple of weeks at the Feinstein's at the Nikko nightclub for four performances before she heads back to resume her role in Hadestown on Broadway.

I'll catch my first play, Song of Summer, shortly thereafter at the San Francisco Playhouse, a small regional theater.

What do these venues have in common? Proof of vaccination requirements. The SF Playhouse is still requiring masks and won't fill all the seats, at least for now. Feinstein's at the Nikko won't require masks but won't fill all their seats either. (This may partially explain the fairly high price - $85.) Even in the very vaccinated San Francisco Bay Area, I just feel like I will have more fun going to shows where I won't be thinking - in the back of my mind - that I'm taking an unnecessary risk. The feelings of family members factor into it as well.

As I said, that's just me. I have been more cautious about the virus and less trusting of government agencies' guidance than the average person. That may just make me paranoid, but it's just the best decision for me at this time. I know well that the coronavirus and its variants aren't going to vanish, and other people will happily return to packed houses even if there aren't proof of vaccination requirements because they're fully vaccinated. I envy you folks.

It's going to be a strange season. I will make entertainment decisions, for now, based not just on the shows that interest me but also on the rules adopted by theaters and enforced by government agencies. 

I am torn between a desire to see live performances and that skittish feeling I have about packed theaters with unmasked audience members who have an unknown vaccination status. 

As I said before, I don't think I am the only theatergoer/typical New York City tourist who feels this way. And that may bode ill for Broadway, which is opening up an awful lot of shows this fall.

[Wick3]

Posted: 7/15/21 at 8:29am

@bear88, you’re not alone as I am similar.

The first show I watched in-person was the off off bway show Camp Morning Wood a few weeks ago and what made me feel comfortable going are two things: proof of vaccination and very low covid cases in NYC.

Last weekend I watched Shakespeare in the Park and sat in the full capacity/vaccinated section and felt comfortable going because it was outdoors and very low covid cases in NYC. I lucked out by sitting in the front row of my section so there was more space.

Yes I plan to go watch Broadway shows again. The only ticket I have right now is Music Man and I plan on buying tix for Flying over Sunset.

Overall I understand people from different places will have different comfort levels with going to live theater.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 7/15/21 at 9:44am

@bear88 Although I am personally more comfortable, you are nowhere near alone. I think that what you may find from dipping your toes in the water is that you become more comfortable. Or not. Plus, as Delta variant numbers continue to rise and parts of the country have another wave that could be worse than the one we just had, I expect we will see more vax required for entry.

[JGPR2]

Posted: 7/15/21 at 9:44am

"I am very much looking forward to returning to NYC from Sept. 17-20, 2021.  I am somewhat anxious about flying again.  I will wear a face mask / face shield if need be.  Although I am concerned about the flying and being inside a Broadway theatre once more, there is another issue that I will be very much aware of."

I got both shots by the end of February and I have flown at least 10 times with no problem. Everybody wears a mask on the plane/airport and there have been no issues with anybody not obeying the airline/airport requirement. I have sat a couple of times in a middle seat also (3 across) and had no problems. You will be fine IMO.

Updated On: 7/15/21 at 09:44 AM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/15/21 at 9:58am

I’m in Florida for the week and went out to dinner with my family last night and then we went to a movie. I was fine in the restaurant (which was pretty full) but at the movie i was the only one wearing a mask. I sat there for about a half hour wondering to myself if I’m over reacting and how i was fine in a restaurant for 90 minutes surrounded by unmasked people eating but in this theater with maybe only 15 other people, i was uncomfortable unmasked. It makes no sense. People’s comfort levels are just all over the place and make no sense a lot of the times and that’s just what it is right now.

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 7/15/21 at 2:46pm

I'm local, pre covid we were always trying to see everything that opens on Broadway that wasn't a concert. Neither of us have much desire to sit inside a crowded theatre that almost always has cramped seats next to strangers right away so I don't see us seeing anything until at least 2022.

We usually go into a lot of shows with a simple plot summary and don't read reviews, I'd say I would end up hating or thinking they were a waste of my time for about 40% of the shows we see. I think covid has made me realize that I really don't miss sitting through shows I was just seeing because it was something we do together so going forward we may just be more selective about what we see.

I do miss seeing a good show though but in browsing some of the new shows that are opening I can't say I find anything that is interesting enough to make me want to go this year.

Updated On: 7/15/21 at 02:46 PM

[bear88]

Posted: 7/15/21 at 9:16pm

Well, maybe I won’t be catching my first play in a few weeks after all. One of our San Francisco nonprofit theaters had a Proof of Vaccination policy for its first play, a one-person performance, but they’re dropping it for the next one, apparently because the city isn’t requiring it. Masks are still required, though, as well as empty seats between each group. See update below.

Nobody should care about my little problems, as we all have different levels of risk tolerance, but I am genuinely disappointed - in part because I like the theater and many of its shows and also because small theater companies need all the help they can get. And I do miss live theater.

Part of my problem is not with theaters but with the irritating refusal to require something simple like this. I understand why, and the sort of person who is going to attend a play in San Francisco - one of the most vaccinated cities in America - is exactly the sort of person who will probably be fully vaccinated. But it just leaves me more inclined to stay home unless the venue, like the one hosting Eva Noblezada’s concerts, requires vaccination proof.

Broadway has its own commercial needs and must draw bigger crowds, but I’m not sure they would lose that many people if they required proof. And they would gain others.

But what do I know?

July 17 Update: The San Francisco Playhouse has changed its policy again and will require proof of vaccination. I got a call this afternoon (Saturday). This may be due to revised recommendations from the San Francisco health department along with several other Bay Area counties on Friday afternoon. Or I suppose it’s possible I was given bad information earlier this week. Regardless, I gave my positive feedback about the requirement.

There’s no guarantee about anything and I understand that. (I learned yesterday of a fully vaccinated young adult I know who tested positive.) The likelihood of getting Covid seems higher, even if fully vaccinated people seem better off when it comes to avoiding serious illness.

Updated On: 7/17/21 at 09:16 PM

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 7/15/21 at 9:44pm

I'm hoping for a nice assortment of shows for our upcoming trips. Both before cruises (actually crossings) in December and April. I have three spots for December, two of which are currently filled with Six and Company (holding the third for Flying Over Sunset). In late April, we'll have six or seven slots (depending if there is an 8:00 curtain on that Tuesday). I have tickets for Music Man (and Company, which I bought before they announced their new opening date. We love the show and Patti - so we may see twice or will put them on StubHub).

We're Broadway fans from San Francisco. Because two years ago, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer, I've been frustrated by losing 18 months from whatever I have left (and because of my immune system when I was undergoing chemo, I was totally isolated at home, except for medical appointments.) So, now that I'm fully vaccinated I'm going full bore to return to the two things I enjoy most - Broadway and Cruising. As a matter of fact, I'm writing this from aboard the Viking Orion sailing around Bermuda. I realize that I'm far from the typical consumer, but I AM an out of state visitor and a member of a high risk group (as is my husband) and am eager to jump in with both feet!

As for SF productions, realize that part of the lack of information from BroadwaySF may also be due to the recent purchase of the theaters by ATG, so new management is likely dealing with getting their arms around the enterprise on top of opening large houses in this uncertain climate. (As an indication, front of house staff haven't been contacted less than 30 days before reopening for Hamilton) What will be the policies? We'll have to see. 

Updated On: 7/15/21 at 09:44 PM

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 7/15/21 at 9:44pm

(Duplicate post)

Updated On: 7/15/21 at 09:44 PM

[Timon3]

Posted: 7/16/21 at 9:48pm

I would be very curious to know, if Broadway will continue to publish their grosses, once Broadway gets going?

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 7/16/21 at 10:38pm

Bruce is not. Don’t know about the rest yet.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 7/16/21 at 11:15pm

They have said that they will not report grosses this Fall. I don't think that will last long. Why? Because “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." The bottom line is, the grosses are not a secret: way too many people are entitled to know the grosses every week. So what happens when you don't control the release is that the numbers come out as gossip and gossip is error-prone, and when that happens, someone has to correct the errors, and then you've come full circle. 

[JGPR2]

Posted: 7/17/21 at 8:13am

"I do miss seeing a good show though but in browsing some of the new shows that are opening I can't say I find anything that is interesting enough to make me want to go this year."

I would like to see "Six" and "Flying Over Sunset" if I can make it to NYC in 2021. In 2022, I think "Sing Street" might be something I would enjoy.