Broadway musical Aladdin has been halted one day after reopening due to multiple cases of Covid-19 being detected within the company.
The Disney stage show had to cancel Wednesday evening’s performance at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City and said an update about future performances will be provided on Thursday.
The cancellation comes after 18 months of closure due to coronavirus restrictions.
The production posted a statement to Twitter saying: “Through our rigorous testing protocols, breakthrough Covid-19 cases have been detected within the company of Aladdin at The New Amsterdam Theatre.
“Because the wellness and safety of our guests, cast and crew are our top priority, tonight’s performance, Wednesday, September 29th, is cancelled.
“All tickets for this performance will be refunded at the original point of purchase. We will communicate the status of future performances tomorrow.
“We will continue to provide support to the affected Aladdin company members as they recover.”
The production is based on Disney’s 1992 animated hit film and the American adaptation stars Michael Maliakel as Aladdin and Shoba Narayan as Jasmine.
OMG IT’S OPENING NIGHT! There aren’t words for the feeling of what this means for our whole community as #Broadway comes back. #THANKFUL for all the incredible people who have made it possible for us to be back & for the resilience of this incredible community! pic.twitter.com/Puk5bKrvCu
— Michael James Scott (@iamMJScott) September 29, 2021
The show also has multiple productions around the world, including a West End show which ran from 2016 to 2019.
Broadway actor Michael James Scott, who plays the Genie in the musical, spoke on Good Morning America on Monday to discuss the show’s return.
When asked what level of excitement he felt about the production’s return, Scott said: “I don’t even know. There isn’t a number.
“We’re here, I cannot believe it, it is the craziest, most surreal, most beautiful gift to be able to get to say we come back tomorrow night. We open on Broadway.”
To celebrate the return of Broadway, cast members from Aladdin, The Lion King and Frozen also performed a special medley on the US daytime talk show The View on Wednesday morning.
