*This story has been updated as of January 25 at 6:10 PM.
You've seen the news reports: a major winter storm has hit New York City. New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Friday January 23, as meteorologists forecasted eight to 12 inches of snowfall beginning Sunday morning on January 25. That leaves one question for theatre goers: Will the show go on for Broadway?
Well, it seems like we have some answers. Disney Theatrical Productions was the first Broadway company to cancel its performances for Sunday January 25, thus, The Lion King and Aladdin will not be performing Sunday. Ragtime, The Book of Mormon, and MJ The Musical will also not be performing. The evening performances of All Out: Comedy About Ambition, Stranger Things, & Juliet, Mamma Mia, and Harry Potter and The Cursed Child have been cancelled. Contrary to posts on fan forums online, Chicago has confirmed that the company will go on for their 7 PM performance.
Ticket buyers can contact their point of purchase for refunds.
Manhattan Theatre Club has also announced a special discount for Bug starring Carrie Coon, which will continue performances. There will be a $45 flash sale for all remaining seats for today’s 2:00 PM matinee at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street). Tickets are available at the box office and at Telecharge.com, using the code MTCJL.
Off-Broadway, Heathers: The Musical and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (both at New World Stages), Little Shop of Horrors at the Westside Theatre, MTC's The Monsters, Ulysses at the Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop's Tartuffe, Irish Rep's The Honey Trap, and St. Ann’s Warehouse’s Anna Christie have cancelled their Sunday shows.
New Jersey Transit, which many Broadway workers use to get to their shows, has announced it will suspend operations beginning 4 AM Sunday with all rail operations ceasing by 2 PM. The MTA has said it plans to continue bus and subway operations in New York City.
Playbill will continue to update this story if more productions cancel their shows.
As for the other shows on Broadway, we won't know until we know. The Broadway League, the trade organization that represents Broadway producers and theatre owners, has released a statement affirming that most Broadway shows are currently set to perform as scheduled.
A catastrophic weather event has historically brought down curtains on the Main Stem. It's happened as recently as January 2016, when a major blizzard led to an officially declared winter weather emergency and a hazardous travel advisory, leading the League to shut down all of Broadway the evening of January 23, the peak of the storm. Famously, that event occurred the weekend of the first-ever BroadwayCon, an event that is happening January 23–25 this year, too. Only that one day's performances were cancelled; NYC is generally pretty skilled at quickly cleaning up after a snow dump.
If more show cancellations come in, you will find them reported here at Playbill and on our social media channels. Shows will post about them on their own social handles, too. And as far as any tickets you might already have in hand, you should expect to hear from your point of purchase about cancellation news and next steps on getting a refund. If you would like to exchange your January 25 tickets, please contact your point of purchase.
There's potential for a silver lining, too, if you're already in the city. When such events befall Broadway, producers often create special deals for any New Yorkers or visitors brave enough to venture out into the storm and take in a show—a way of filling seats as the bridge-and-tunnel crowd and out-of-state tourists' seats might be left empty. Playbill will update this story with more promos so it's worth keeping an eye out for especially good opportunities to save a buck. And remember, you can still get two-for-one tickets as part of Broadway Week.
Nothing is more important than your safety and health. So no matter what you're up to this weekend, make sure you bundle up, wear warm shoes with good traction, and be safe!
To see what Broadway shows are scheduled to play this weekend, check Playbill's show listings.
