‘Hamilton’ and other Broadway musicals cancel shows until Christmas

In the dance world, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has canceled performances at the New York City Center, while Mark Morris has canceled performances this weekend at Zellerbach Hall at the University of California at Berkeley.

In sports, the NBA and NHL have announced a series of game postponements, and the NFL has adjusted its testing policies, to deal with an increase in cases.

The world of cinema has offered proof that audiences are always ready to come together. The industry had a great weekend, thanks to Spider-Man. But not all theaters joined in: Metrograph, citing the pandemic, said it would close its Lower East Side theater until Christmas, and the Spectacle Theater in Brooklyn closed until January 4 .

Outside of Broadway, there have been several shows over the past week, often canceling at the very last minute. “Trevor,” a new musical at Stage 42, canceled its Sunday matinee, then announced its closure on Monday, canceling the remaining two weeks of performances. And among those who canceled at least one performance were “The Alchemist” at Red Bull Theater, “Cheek to Cheek” at York Theater Company, “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas! “At the New Victory Theater,” Hear / Now: LIVE! At Keen Company, “Kimberly Akimbo” at Atlantic Theater Company, “Morning Sun” at Manhattan Theater Club, and “While You Were Partying” at Soho Rep.

Although the cancellations were prompted by testing of arts workers, there are indications that safety protocols for the public are subject to change: The Metropolitan Opera announced last week that it would require Covid booster injections for patrons, as well as employees, from mid-January. The Public Theater has said it will require not only proof of vaccination, but also a negative Covid-19 test, for entry; In the short term, this new policy will only affect the audience at Joe’s Pub, which is the only part of the public with performances scheduled for the next few weeks.

And, in a flashback to past pandemic practices, some organizations are rethinking audiences live. “Saturday Night Live” last weekend was played without an audience. Play-PerView, a streaming platform born in the first weeks of the pandemic, canceled a live playback in Los Angeles on Monday, choosing to broadcast only, while a New York cabaret space, Green Room 42, has said on Monday that he would begin live-streaming all of his shows, while continuing to host clients in person, “until this wave passes.”