Lion King, Hamilton, Wicked and many more to return to Broadway this fall
On Tuesday, theater lovers were in for a surprise if they were watching ABC’s Good Morning America. Three cast members: Alexandra Billings from Wicked, L. Steven Taylor from The Lion King and Krystal Joy Brown from Hamilton announced that their shows were returning to Broadway at Richard Rodgers Theater, The Minskoff Theater, and the Gershwin Theater on September 14. Governor Richard Cuomo had earlier announced that the NYC theaters will open at 100 percent capacity from September 14.
A joint press release stated that the rare alliance between three of Broadway’s fan-favorites sent a message that Broadway was united in its commitment to end a devastating period of hardship for the tens of thousands who made their livings directly on Broadway and the tens of thousands who were on dependent industries.
Ticket sales have opened Tuesday and theatergoers will find updates on the Broadway website. The three shows have been the most attended ones after their openings: The Lion King – 23 years ago, Wicked – 17 years ago and Hamilton – six years ago. These three shows together have also provided work to 1000 performers each run.
The Hollywood Reporter said that casting for the shows has not as yet been finalized. However, representatives from Hamilton have said that Miranda will not be returning to the show. Broadway shut down on March 12, 2020. There were 31 productions on at various theaters. This included eight shows in shows which were in previews and eight shows were in rehearsals.
Many other shows are also returning or setting opening dates and tickets are available as of Tuesday. Some of these shows include:
- The Phantom of the Opera
- Chicago
- Come from Away
- Tina – The Tina Turner Musical
- Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations
- Aladdin
- Jagged Little Pill
- Doubtfire
- Company
- Six
- Diana: A True Musical Story
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Phantom of the Opera has been the longest running show on Broadway.
