'The Lion King' The Latest Broadway Show To Temporarily Close Due To COVID-19 Positive Tests
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It was another day and another round of closings on Broadway.
COVID-19 testing revealed more positive hits, shuttering shows, in some cases between now and Christmas, and in at least one case a show closed for good.
But at nearly two dozen other theaters, the shows go on, CBS2's Dave Carlin reported.
The Khan family visiting from San Diego had tickets for the suddenly-shuttered Radio City Rockettes and "Aladdin," and one more.
"And now 'Lion King,' which you just told us about right now," Athar Khan said.
They're top three closing left them searching for family friendly replacement shows.
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It was busy Tuesday afternoon backstage at "The Lion King" despite no show, because it is where the entire company, including actor Michael Stiggers, gets tested to find out whether they're going on or not.
"To be able to be tested up and to make sure that we continue to be safe," Stiggers said.
Broadway Star LaChanze, who is in the play "Trouble in Mind," which has not closed, told CBS2 Broadway theaters can be very old and cramped. Tiny backstage areas and all the intimacy up on stage make necessary the aggressive safety protocols.
"We're tested every single day. When we're not on stage, we're masked. Walking, my dresser is standing in the wing with a mask to hand me just to walk backstage, just to walk to my dressing room. Anywhere in the building, we're masked," LaChanze said.
Michael Crawford is a dancer and teacher and said he's especially saddened by the closing of the musical "Jagged Little Pill," which was shut down by COVID and won't be coming back.
"Everyone is concerned when shows start closing. It feels very familiar to what happened at the beginning of the pandemic," Crawford said.
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The majority of shows will go on. That's a promise from leaders of the Broadway League, who added they must remain nimble to respond to a crisis that changes day by day, Carlin reported.
"We are speaking with three prominent epidemiologists who are advising us daily," Broadway League president Charlotte St. Martin said. "Shubert, for example, had many theaters not selling concessions in the last few days. We're hoping that everyone will get boosted. Then, this won't be a question anymore."
A booster mandate remains under discussion, and whether you get food and drinks to take your seat, for now, is decided theater by theater.
