Disney’s Broadway Shows shutter temporarily in response to Coronavirus

Disney Theatrical Group’s Broadway musicals along with approximately 60 other Broadway productions have announced a temporary shutdown in response to the Coronavirus / COVID-19.

Disney currently has three musical productions on Broadway: Frozen the Musical, Aladdin the Musical, and The Lion King. There are also a number of touring productions both in the US and abroad.

The announcement was made today following an emergency meeting of The Broadway League. All performances beginning after 5 p.m. tonight are cancelled.

“We are taking new actions to reduce the density of people across the state,” said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. “Starting Friday at 5PM, gatherings with 500 people or more will not be permitted in the state of New York. Additionally, for facilities with an occupancy of 500 or fewer, we are reducing the legal capacity by 50%. For Broadway theaters in Manhattan, these rules will go into effect at 5PM today. We have already spoken to the theaters about these new measures and they agreed.”

Prior to this, Disney was encouraging guests who felt ill to stay home and waived exchange fees for refunds for guests holding tickets to performances through April 19, 2020. 

Guests seeking refunds should inquire with the original point of purchase for their ticket. 

We are currently looking into what is happening with the tour in productions. For instance, the touring production of Frozen the Musical, currently in Portland, OR, has canceled all remaining performances. 

The last time Broadway was dark for an extended period of time, was 2007 during a stagehand strike. That closure lasted for 19 days.

Performances are currently scheduled to resume the week of April 13. That, of course, is depending on circumstances and the state giving them the green light.

This is a developing story and we will update as we learn more.