Charlotte St. Martin on Return of Broadway- 'Longer-Running Shows May Be First to Come Back'

It's been just about a year without Broadway, and while hope seems to be on the horizon, theatre fans and industry professionals alike are asking the same question- when will it return?

In a recent interview with NBC New York, Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin went into detail on her predictions for the future. "At this point we're thinking early fall, perhaps early September. That's the way things are pointing," she said.

"Broadway cannot reopen at anything less than full capacity," she added. "If the theaters aren't at least 75 percent full, the shows won't last. They'll have to close."

Which shows are likely to return first? "We believe that some of the longer-running shows may be first to come back, because a lot of the cast has muscle memory," she said.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced last week the long-awaited return of live indoor performance across New York State will commence April 2, 2021 with the reopening of a significant number of Flexible Venues ("Flex Venues") as part of an ongoing systematic effort to help jumpstart New York's struggling live entertainment sector. New York event, arts and entertainment venues holding less than 10,000 people will be allowed to reopen at 33% capacity beginning April 2. Up to 100 people will be allowed indoors, and 200 people will be allowed outdoors.

Following this news, the first off-Broadway show announced its return this spring. Blindness, the acclaimed Donmar Warehouse production of Nobel Prize-winner José Saramago's dystopian novel written by Tony Award winner Simon Stephens and directed by Walter Meierjohann, will begin performances on Friday, April 2 at the Daryl Roth Theatre (101 East 15th Street at Union Square East) as one of the first performing arts events to open in New York City.

Read more about the current state of Broadway.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski