The lights come back on as Broadway reopens
After the longest shutdown in its history, Broadway raised its curtains again, a milestone in the city's recovery from the pandemic.
Broadway roared back to life this week as theatres reopened for the first time in a year and a half, ending the longest shutdown in the history of the Great White Way and marking one of the most hopeful milestones yet in New York's recovery from the pandemic.
Audiences returned to darkened houses to see shows including long-running blockbusters, greeted by cast members and crews who had been out of work since theatres went dark in March 2020. Many performances opened to standing ovations before a single line was spoken, as emotional crowds celebrated the return of live theatre.
Reopening came with precautions. Theatres required proof of vaccination and masks for audiences, measures the industry adopted to reassure returning patrons amid the ongoing threat of the virus.
Broadway is not only a cultural institution but an economic engine, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and drawing millions of tourists whose spending ripples through restaurants, hotels and shops across the city. Its long closure had devastated the theatre district and the broader economy.
The return of Broadway was freighted with symbolism for a city desperate to reclaim its vitality. As marquees lit up Times Square once more and crowds filled the sidewalks of the theatre district, New York signalled that one of the things that makes it New York was coming back.