Cuomo Reopens Venues, But Broadway To Stay Shuttered

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo's announcement that live performances could resume next month across the state does not apply to New York's most high-profile venues: Broadway theaters.

While arts, entertainment and event venues can reopen at 33 percent capacity starting April 2, Broadway is sticking to its plan to remain dark through at least May 30.

"The new rules will not affect commercial productions of Broadway plays and musicals," a spokesperson for the Broadway League said in an email.

Broadway is approaching the one-year anniversary of its pandemic shutdown, which began on March 12, 2020 and has crippled the city's $15 billion theater industry.

Charlotte St. Martin, the Broadway League's president, has said that shows could reopen by late summer or early fall.

The exception will be a handful of pop-up shows that will hold brief performances starting next month in venues that include the Apollo Theater, the Park Avenue Armory, and a handful of Broadway theaters.

"These theaters will put in motion safety protocols that will eventually be employed for Broadway’s return," the group NY PopsUp said in a news release, adding that the first spot would be the Music Box Theatre on West 45th Street.

"While Broadway productions are not able to return just yet, we're glad that arts venues, including select Broadway theatres, will be able to open their doors and give the public a taste of what we've all been missing so much through these dark months," St. Martin said in a statement.

In normal times, Broadway has employed nearly 97,000 workers. In 2019, Broadway enjoyed its most successful season in history, raking in $1.8 billion in ticket sales from nearly 15 million people.