By Carly White | Posted on February 22, 2021 2:50 PM
Broadway show Hamilton is considering to be the first Broadway show to reopen as a stunt to revive momentum and interest in the show and Broadway shows. The show will be at 25% Capacity and tickets are expected to be $1000
Broadway is often full of stunts, including stunt casting and stunt reviews, but Hamilton on Broadway is considering reopening their show on July 4th, 2021 as a stunt to drive the momentum and interest back in the Broadway industry that has laid dormant for 18 months.
The stunt will be the very first opening of its kind on Broadway and will, of course, have to meet a number of health and safety requirements to gain the approval of Mayor De Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo. It is not known if the show will be allowed to perform past that date but early indications are that this is a test to see how a show could operate in this new COVID-19 environment.
People familiar with the project have indicated that this may be a one-night only occurrence that would then be followed up with contact tracing protocols, meaning that if no one gets sick from Covid-19, they may be able to do the whole thing again two weeks later, and from then on, continuously until data suggest that something be changed or the show be cancelled.
What Are The Requirements For Shows to Reopen Their Broadway Theatre?
Broadway shows are not allowed to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Hamilton has discussed reopening their show on July 4th, 2021 with a significantly reduced audience and many other controls in place. There are over ten controls that will be in place and the audience's experience will be far diminished when compared to the experience before Coronavirus. So what are some of the new requirements?
Upgrade the Air Filtration System at the Richard Rodgers Theatre
The Hamilton show does not own the Richard Rodgers Theatre and they have yet to get the landlord, ‘The Nederlander Organization’, to stump up the $5 Million required to upgrade the air filtration system in this historic Broadway theatre landmark.
Other major Broadway theatre landlords, like the Shubert Organization would never pay for such upgrades because Charles Flateman is far too cheap to invest in his batch of aging and dilapidated Broadway theatres, but the Nederlander Theatre Organization might just do it, especially if they can get a cash injection from the government through the “Save Our Stages: act that has been added to the bailout bill currently running through congress.
Limit the Audience Capacity to 25%. Space Groups Out Equally
Limiting the audience to 25% would normally be financial suicide for a Broadway show, but Hamilton has deep pockets and, despite running the show at a loss for that one night, the PR that they can get from this opening could be huge. The seating for this event will be very complicated, with groups being allowed to sit next to each other, but overall capacity down to 25% and all groups will be equally distributed throughout the theatre. No-shows will be charged an additional $1000 fee, as this would mean that they were preventing others from seeing the show.
All The Actors, Stagehands and Crew Must Be Vaccinated and Tested for COVID-19 Beforehand and on the Day of the Show
All people associated with the show must wear face masks whenever they are not on stage. Everyone associated with the show must be vaccinated at least two months prior to the show performance and be tested three days before the show and on the day of the show. All staff and actors must also quarantine themselves , and with their bubble, for at least 2 weeks prior to the show and 2 weeks after the show and then retake the COVID-19 test.
Actors Must Not Approach the Front of the Stage
There is a lot of inadvertent spitting by actors that are trying to deliver their lines and because of this all actors must stay back 10 feet away from the edge of the stage. They also need to stop spitting so much as they could get other actors infected with COVID.
Hamilton Ticket Pricing - All Tickets to be Sold For $1000 and Distributed Lottery Style
This stunt opening is not going to be a money maker for the producers. In fact the show will lose over $100,000 by opening for just one night due to union restrictions, rent and insurance. All tickets will be sold for $1000 and the proceeds may go to the Broadway charity, ‘Broadway Cares’. The tickets will be distributed lottery style and cannot be bought and sold by ticket brokers as government ID will be required at the door to match the name on the ticket.
All Patrons Must Pass a COVID-Test
Much like the Buffalo Bills game, that occurred on Jan. 24, 2021, where the Buffalo Bills were returning to the AFC Championship Game for the very first time in 27 years and the governor wanted New Yorker’s to be able to attend, Hamilton producers will require that all patrons have a COVID-19 Test at most 3 days prior to the performance and have a Rapid-Test on the day of the show.
They are also required to bring those verifiable documents proving their CIOVID testing status to the show. All patrons will have their temperature checked at the door and be required to wear gloves, even though it has already been well proven that most infected people are asymptomatic and COVID-19 does not commonly spread by touch.
Covid-19 Vaccinations Will Not Be Required
Because of the poor rollout of the vaccine in NYC, Covid-19 Vaccinations will not be a requirement to be in the audience at this show performance.
Mandatory Masks for all Patrons
All patrons will be required to wear face masks, but cannot be chin masks or one of the useless blue medical masks. All audience members will be required to be wearing approved N95 or KN95 masks and above. N100 masks are also approved, provided that they also come with an exit air filter. Face shields in addition to N95 masks may also be required and supplied at the door for people who do not have them.
All other masks and face shields will not be allowed, which includes the thin material types that many people often use that provide little to no protection to the wearer or those around them. A doctor’s note that states that people do not have to wear a face mask will not be accepted or honored, because that does not protect others.
Patrons Must Sign a Waiver To Attend The Show
If a patron gets sick following the show performance, they could sue the producers and bankrupt the Hamilton show. All patrons will be required to sign a waiver that states they will not sue the show or the theatre landlord if they get sick from COVID-19 or any of its variants.
