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As the Omicron variant surges through the United States, some Broadway shows are opting for temporary closures instead of cancelling performances or closing the show entirely. Mrs. Doubtfire, The Girl from the North Country and To Kill a Mockingbird have all announced temporary closures until spring in order to wait out the Omicron surge. However, Broadway unions are worried that this is not only a way to avoid losing money, but a way to avoid paying artists.
Last month, many shows were cancelling individual performances due to positive Covid tests. Now, the industry is trying to figure out a better way to handle this. Some shows are bringing in replacement performers from other casts of the show or even former cast members. Kevin McCollum, producer of Mrs. Doubtfire, has opted to close the show until March 15, in an unprecedented move that some agree with and unions find cause for concern. After this announcement, To Kill a Mockingbird also announced a hiatus until June to return at a smaller theatre, and so did The Girl from the North Country, the new Bob Dylan jukebox musical, which is in “advanced talks” to reopen at another Shubert Organization theatre in the spring, according to CNBC.
McCollum’s decision to put the show on hiatus was one of financials. The shutdown means the show will lose between 750,000 to one million USD, according to CNBC. But if it were to stay open it would likely lose half a million a week, leading to an early and permanent closure as many other shows have already done. McCollum said himself the show would have to close if it had tried to stay open through January. But the unions are pushing back.
The NYC Musicians Union told CNBC that there are provisions in their contract with Broadway productions that allow then to temporarily close for up to eight weeks during September, January and February. However, in order to do so, producers must prove that the show is losing money and get permission from the union. McCollum officially shut the production down, even though the plan is to eventually return. Doing this means all of the production’s employees are out of work as well. 115 people will be unemployed for at least nine weeks.
A Mrs. Doubtfire spokesperson said that it was shutdown due to difficulties with creating a deal with the multiple unions on Broadway. Mary McColl, who recently ended her tenure as Actors’ Equity’s executive director, told CNBC that producers are using the Omicron variant as an excuse to implement this as a cost-cutting measure. Winter months have always been a difficult time filling Broadway seats, even before Covid. Now it is worse than ever, with even hot shows like Hamilton and The Music Man struggling to sell out.
There are no official guarantees that the show will actually return come March. Some members of the cast and crew may not return. If and when the show does return, since it was officially closed and not hiatus, contracts will have to be re-negotiated, meaning some cast may be paid less or not even invited to return. Many will likely move onto other shows or leave the theatre industry entirely, as so many have over the past 18 months while theatre has been shut down. McCollum made a verbal promise to keep the original cast and crew, but apparently refused to put it in writing. In the meantime, Equity members may not receive health insurance and many will not be able to claim unemployment due to not working enough since returning. If they do, it will be less due to supplements to unemployment being cut.
Unions are worried this could lead to more Broadway shows behaving similarly. Labor rights are a growing issue everywhere but particularly in the theatre community, due to groups like No More 10 Out of 12s gaining prominence. It is a difficult time for theatre right now. Audiences do not want to return to Broadway due to virus fears. It seems that producers are putting their profits over their workers, at least in this case. Hopefully, unions will fight for rightful compensation for artists affected by Omicron. If shows have to temporarily shut down, it should be negotiated through the unions properly so those who are affected most by these shutdowns can be protected.
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