MJ the musical, which traces the making of the late Michael Jackson’s 1992 Dangerous World Tour, is canceling performances through Christmas, one of Broadway’s busiest times of the year.
Producers for the show, which began previews on Dec. 6 and is slated to open Feb. 1, 2022, announced their decision to cancel all previously scheduled preview performances between Dec. 17 and Dec. 26 on the musical’s Twitter account late Friday afternoon.
“As a result of multiple positive COVID test results within the company, and out of an abundance of caution, MJ is canceling all performances through December 26th. Previews will resume Monday, December 27,” the statement reads.
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The notice confirmed that tickets for all canceled performances will be refunded and that the move was done to protect “the safety of our audience, cast and crew.” The news comes just a day after the musical also announced on Twitter, in a since-deleted tweet, that both of its Dec. 16 performances would not go on due to a “limited number of positive COVID test results.” At the time, performances for Dec. 17 were still slated to run.
As a result of multiple positive COVID test results within the company, and out of an abundance of caution, “MJ” is canceling all performances through December 26th. Previews will resume Monday, December 27. pic.twitter.com/neoyLJUGi5
— MJ (@MJtheMusical) December 17, 2021
The decision by the MJ producers to cancel a week of previews through the holiday season comes as nine other musicals, including Hamilton, Moulin Rouge, Harry Potter and the Curse Child, Tina, Freestyle Love Supreme, Jagged Little Pill, Mrs. Doubtfire and Ain’t Too Proud have also canceled shows since Dec. 13 due to breakthrough cases.
Temporary shuttering for a week is also different to the approaches many other productions have made in recent days. This cluster of Broadway cancellations has involved shutting down for just one performance or day at a time, with plans to return the very next day pending test results. For some shows, this may be more possible based on a show’s employment of understudies, who can quickly step in.
Earlier in the season, both the Disney musical Aladdin and the play Chicken & Biscuits each canceled strings of performances due to positive COVID cases within their respective companies, temporarily closing for ten and three days, respectively. Following Aladdin‘s shut down, Kate Shindle, president of Actors’ Equity told The Hollywood Reporter, “It felt like Aladdin did the right thing. Disney did the right thing. At a certain point, it’s diminishing returns to continue acting as if this is not something that needs to be taken seriously.”
While The Broadway League and Actors’ Equity set industry-wide measures, including masking and vaccination protocols for cast, crew, theater staff and audiences back in July, each show is individually responsible for taking additional health and safety measures, as well as crafting a response to breakthrough positive COVID cases within the company.
The cancellations come amid a special holiday performance schedule, with additional matinee shows the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s. Twenty shows were scheduled for Christmas day performances when the Broadway League first announced the holiday schedule on Nov. 12. The holidays are one of Broadway’s busiest times, with productions in 2019 grossing more than $55 million in ticket sales during the week ending on Dec. 29, the highest in a six-month period, according to the League’s data.
The cancellations have also been announced as a wave of positive COVID cases has swept across New York City and the state, with Friday marking a new record in the number of positive cases statewide at 21,027 in a single day, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced. The previous record was set on Jan. 14 with more than 19,000 cases.
On Dec. 13, the day Freestyle Love Supreme announced its cancellations, Hochul instituted a new mandate across the state, which stipulates that you must wear a mask to enter any public indoor location in New York State that does not require proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Masking is already mandated for audiences at every Broadway show.
