Musical Productions in South Korea Will Begin Social Distancing Among Audiences Due to Rise in COVID-19 Cases

Musical productions in South Korea will begin social distancing in theaters due to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases, Yonhap News Agency reports.

CJ ENM, an entertainment unit of CJ Group, will adopt distancing measures among audiences for its current productions "Kinky Boots" and "Maybe Happy Ending" beginning on Friday.

All previously sold tickets for the shows have been refunded, and CJ ENM will open a renewed ticket booking service on Wednesday.

The company was set to open the musical "Wether" this Friday, but the premiere has been pushed to next to Tuesday to accommodate the rearranged seating.

In addition, Live Contents Group will also limit the number of tickets available for shows beginning next Tuesday.

Chungmu Arts Center and LG Arts Center, have cancelled all performances of "Something Rotten!" and "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" scheduled for this week. The company will consider lowering seating capacity at shows starting next month.

"Phantom of the Opera" will finish its South Korean run in Daegu early, on September 6, rather than continuing through the end of the month.

"If social distancing is fully adopted in theaters, some producers may face a huge loss," said an official from an event organizer. "Some productions may drop out of the market if this situation continues further."

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