New York City hotels and restaurants are expected to reap a boost in tourism this fall, as four major shows kicked off the return of Broadway on Tuesday night, Sept. 14.
After being shuttered for 18 months due to the coronavirus pandemic, the world's greatest theater district came to life again as "Wicked," "Chicago," "The Lion King" and "Hamilton" all roared back to life in all their glory in front of enthusiastic and emotional crowds.
At "Chicago," for instance, there were no less than six standing ovations throughout the musical production.
Broadway royalty - including Kristen Chenoweth, the original Glinda the Good Witch from "Wicked," and Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and original star of "Hamilton" and "In The Heights" - greeted fans outside the respective theaters on Tuesday night.
Chenoweth surprised the audience with her onstage appearance to start "Wicked," telling the boisterous crowd "There's no place like home!", echoing a line from The Wizard of Oz, upon which Wicked is based.
Broadway actually came back to life in June, when legendary singer Bruce Springsteen reprised his one-man show that proved to be one of the biggest Broadway hits two years.
And singer-songwriter Sara Baraeilles brought the musical "Waitress" back to the theater on Sept. 2.
But the return of "Hamilton," "Wicked" and "The Lion King" are the bellwethers of Broadway, having run for six, 17 and 23 years, respectively. The trio of shows are virtual sellouts for every performance and favorites among tourists.
And Sept. 14 was as eagerly anticipated a day since it was first announced.
"We go to a theater for catharsis. Literally that's what we go for: to be in communion with each other, hear a story told in the dark and experience catharsis," said Miranda. "For a while, it wasn't safe to do that. And it's safe to come back now with the protocols we have in place."
All patrons had to show proof of vaccination.
The return should also help area restaurants and hotels, many of which were forced to close over the last 18 months as they lost their bread-and-butter when Broadway shut down.
Another sign that Broadway is inching back to normalcy is the re-opening of the famed TKTS booth in the heart of Times Square, where visitors can get same-day and some next-day discount Broadway and off-Broadway tickets.
"It's such a big step forward," said Victoria Bailey, executive director of the nonprofit Theatre Development Fund. "To get it open and such a symbol to people that theater is coming back."
Bailey says Broadway's return will be less like a flick of a light switch and more like a dimmer, with a slow build to regular attendance. "We'll know so much more in two or three weeks, but you can't swim unless you can start by dog-paddling."
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