Performances of HAMILTON, ON YOUR FEET Delayed Due to Times Square Bomb Scare

UPDATE: BWW reader Noah Taylor shares that he was in attendance at Saturday night's performance of HAMILTON and that audience members were never asked to evacuate the Richard Rodgers Theatre.

Says Taylor: "I was at HAMILTON on Saturday night and the theatre was not evacuated. The show didn't start until almost 8:30. An announcement was made at 8:10 pm that due to police activity on the street, there would be a slight delay. Around 8:25 they announced that they had been given the all clear and the show would begin soon."

In addition, representatives of ON YOUR FEET! have informed BWW that audiences at the Saturday evening performance of the show were not evacuated during the incident. Patrons remained in their seats until the show started at 8:30pm.

A spokesman for FINDING NEVERLAND, running at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on West 46th Street, told Deadline that the curtain went up at 8:24 PM Saturday evening after being given the all-clear by police.

EARLIER: Deadline reports that audiences attending the Saturday evening performances of Broadway's ON YOUR FEET and Hamilton were briefly evacuated following a bomb scare which resulted in the closing off of two blocks of New York City's theater district. The incident occurred at approximately 8:00 pm/ET, just as the shows were getting underway.

According to the report, NYC police shut down all businesses along West 46th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. In addition a segment of Broadway was closed. Theater attendees of the two musical productions were evacuated while police investigated the bomb threat. Audience members in attendance at HAMILTON's Richard Rodgers Theater were reportedly rushed to the venue's basement.

The police action was triggered by reports of an illegally parked truck, containing canisters of gasoline in the cab and exposed wires in the front seat. Once police determined that the vehicle did not pose a threat, audiences were allowed to return to their respective theaters to enjoy the performances, although no doubt shaken from the experience. The driver of the truck was taken into police custody for questioning and released with 10 summons on Sunday morning.

Hats off to New York City's Finest for ensuring the safety of New Yorkers and visitors to the Big Apple.

Photo credit: Joan Marcus