When Broadway theaters shut down nearly two weeks ago, on March 12, the Broadway League said it hoped to end the shutdown by April 13. That date has come to seem increasingly impossible as COVID-19 ravages New York City, and though no new opening date has been announced, the last major date on the Broadway calendar has shifted: the Tony Awards, originally scheduled for June 7, will be “postponed and rescheduled,” according to a press release. The Tony Awards will coordinate with the broadcast partner CBS to select a new date.
Spring is a busy season for Broadway, with shows required to open before April 23 to be eligible for Tonys—like the Oscars and the Emmys, there’s often an advantage in opening late and being fresh in voters’ minds. Among the shows scheduled to open this spring and now postponed or canceled are revivals of Caroline, or Change; Company; and Take Me Out; new plays from Tracy Letts and Martin McDonagh, and shows featuring performances from Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Greta Gerwig, Mary-Louise Parker, and many more. McDonagh’s Hangmen and a revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? are among the shows that have announced they will shutter entirely rather than resume when Broadway reopens.
Since theaters shut down, and much of New York City followed suit, a handful of Broadway stars have tested positive for COVID-19. It remains unclear when Broadway or anything else in the city will reopen, and the Tony Awards will likely have to wait a while to announce a new date. Speaking to Vanity Fair reporter Casey Mink the day of the shutdown, one Broadway veteran suggested, “Tonys in July? Why not.” At this point, with the 2020 Olympics now on hold, Broadway would likely be lucky to hold them that early.
This article originally appeared on Vanity Fair.
