“Hadestown” announced Monday that it will return to Broadway Sept. 2, almost two weeks earlier than the previously scheduled opening date for the industry.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo had previously announced that Broadway theaters would reopen at full capacity on Sept. 14, and several large brands, including “Hamilton,” “The Lion King” and “Wicked,” had planned to resume performances that day and collectively usher in the industry’s return. The Sept. 2 date for “Hadestown” was set in coordination with theater owner Jujamcyn Theaters, the Broadway League and Cuomo’s office.
The Broadway return date is positioned after the launch of the first international production of “Hadestown” this August in Seoul, South Korea. A North American tour is set to follow the Broadway reopening, with an official opening Oct. 15 at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center.
Cuomo has not yet made a public statement on the earlier reopening date. However, in his initial Broadway announcement, Cuomo characterized Sept. 14 as an on-sale date for tickets, rather than the first allowable date for opening. Other industries were allowed to open at full capacity May 19 with social distancing requirements, but at the time he said Broadway “may make their own economic decision as to when they reopen,” given the time it takes to prepare productions.
Since then, New York has lifted its mask requirement for vaccinated individuals and plans to allow Radio City Music Hall to open at full capacity June 19 with a fully vaccinated and maskless audience.
The safety guidelines and protocols to allow any Broadway show to reopen at full capacity have not yet been decided.
The Sept. 2 announcement comes as COVID-19 case rates in New York reach new lows and as vaccine uptake increases, pointing to positive trends for the future. As of Sunday, the positive COVID-19 case rate in New York state was 0.77%, 63.5% of adult New Yorkers had received one dose of a vaccine and 54.7% had completed their vaccine series.
“Hadestown” won the 2019 Tony Award for Best Musical and won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. It returns to the Walter Kerr Theatre, where it opened on April 17, 2019.
More than 20 Broadway shows have announced return dates starting Sept. 14, including “Chicago” and “Lackawanna Blues” which join the big-name musical trifecta in announcing that reopening date. However, the earlier reopening date presents a potential new option for shows that have already announced, as well as several that have yet to announce a set return date.
Casting for “Hadestown” on Broadway and for the upcoming tour will be announced “in the coming weeks,” according to the press release.
Tickets for the Broadway engagement will go on sale to the general public June 11.
