Broadway is now officially closed until June of 2021

The shutdown of all Broadway theaters, which began on March 12 and has been extended multiple times since then, will continue well beyond the beginning of 2021. The Broadway League announced today that Broadway will stay dark until at least May 30, 2021. 

"Our membership is committed to re-opening as soon as conditions permit us to do so. We are working tirelessly with multiple partners on sustaining the industry once we raise our curtains again,” said the trade association's president, Charlotte St. Martin. 

This announcement effectively means the cancelation of the entire 2020–21 Broadway season, which represents an enormous cultural and financial loss to New York City. In its most recent complete season, 2018–19, Broadway drew 14.77 million spectators and grossed $1.83 billion. Those numbers, for 2020-21 season, will be zero. 

Though not a surprise—it has been more than two weeks since the Metropolitan Opera announced that it will be closed through next September—the news comes as a grave disappointment to artists and audiences alike. If you have already purchased tickets for Broadway performances through May 30, 2021, you should soon receive guidance about refunds and exchanges from your point of purchase.

The Broadway revival of The Music Man, starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, has announced that it will now start previews on December 20, 2021, and will open on February 22, 2022. The Michael Jackson biomusical MJ has said that it will push its previews to September. It is not yet known what effects the announcement will have on the many other productions that are currently in a state of suspension. 

RECOMMENDED: Our day-by-day roundup of the best theater, opera and dance to stream online 

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