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A COVID outbreak forced Broadway's 'Aladdin' to cancel some shows

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Broadway is back, but the reopening after the pandemic shutdown has been a little rocky.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "A WHOLE NEW WORLD")

ADAM JACOBS: (As Aladdin, singing) A whole new world.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Here's what happens in this new world. Last week, the musical "Aladdin" reopened, shut down, reopened again and shut down again after several vaccinated cast and crew members tested positive for COVID.

CHRISTEL MURDOCK: And so to go have your great opening night and then to not have a show is really depressing, (laughter) you know? It's like, oh, man. We got this far, and now this happened.

MARTIN: That's Christel Murdock, a wardrobe supervisor for "Aladdin." She calls the shutdown just a bump in the road and isn't worried about going back to work.

MURDOCK: We get tested every day. I reached out to a bunch of friends in other shows, and it's amazing that we have the resources, that I work for a company that has the ability to do that. So they are going above and beyond to keep us safe.

MARTIN: Nevertheless, the "Aladdin" shutdown got everyone's attention on Broadway.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BURN")

KRYSTAL JOY BROWN: (As Eliza, singing) Burning the letters that might have redeemed you.

INSKEEP: Krystal Joy Brown, who plays Eliza in "Hamilton," says the COVID outbreak on "Aladdin" was a reality check.

BROWN: This whole thing of us coming back to Broadway is extraordinarily fragile. And we can't just be out here, like, you know, connecting and holding each other and, you know, doing all the things that we wanted to do. Like, we're still very much so in a pandemic.

INSKEEP: Brown says that COVID has also changed the feeling of performances of "Hamilton."

BROWN: Performing to a theater of masked people - you can't really see their face, and you can't really, like, tell their expressions. Not being able to connect with the audience, like, that hurts my soul to have to be so separated from them in this way.

MARTIN: Riza Takahashi was in the original cast of "Mean Girls." The show went out of business during the shutdown, and she's been auditioning for a new job. She says "Aladdin's" problems could actually be good news for people like her looking for work.

RIZA TAKAHASHI: Are the producers are going to hire more actors who are ready to go on at any given time? We're not getting rid of COVID anytime soon. And I think we have to figure it out as we go.

INSKEEP: So "Aladdin" is scheduled to re-reopen on October 12.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "A WHOLE NEW WORLD")

COURTNEY REED: (As Jasmine, singing) A whole new world.

JACOBS: (As Aladdin, singing) Don't you dare close your eyes.

REED: (As Jasmine, singing) A hundred thousand things to see.

JACOBS: (As Aladdin, singing) Hold your breath. It gets better.

REED: (As Jasmine, singing) I'm like a shooting star. I've come so far. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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