Breakthrough COVID Cases Shut Down Broadway's 'Aladdin' One Day After Reopening Night
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Just two weeks after celebrating the return of Broadway, one of the most anticipated shows has been shut down.
Wednesday night's performance of "Aladdin" was canceled after there were positive COVID tests within the cast and crew.
"Aladdin" made its triumphant return Tuesday night, even tweeting video of its curtain call 18 months in the making, adding #BroadwayIsBack.
But who knew it would be curtains for the show in just 24 hours due to breakthrough cases in the company?
"We were disappointed. We drove in, and we listened to the soundtrack on the way in," Meredith Picone told CBS2's Dick Brennan.
Picone brought her 8-year-old son, Tyler, from Stony Brook, Long Island, to see the show, only to be shown the stage door.
"We were shocked and stunned, but we were disappointed," she said.
It was a longer trip for a group that came from Pontiac, Michigan.
"Was it disappointing?" Brennan asked Cecelia Wilson.
"Yes, it was ... because I'm really a kid at heart," she said.
"That's why I wanted to come, to see this," Madison Lee said.
With dozens of new shows upcoming, it raises concerns about whether other shows could also be put in COVID jeopardy.
"Broadway has a way, especially even in the films of Disney, they found a way to connect to every generation ... If it does affect any other Broadway musical, Harry Potter, 'Dear Evan Hansen,' it would be a real shock," Upper West Side resident Brian Snipes said.
For now, "Aladdin" lovers will have to wait for the re-reopening, whenever that is.
Picone had to quickly come up with another wish to come true for little Tyler.
"We went to M&M World," she said.
Customers will get a full refund for their tickets. It's unclear when performances will resume.
Editor's note: This story first appeared on September 29, 2021.
