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On Broadway, One Show decided to keep the mask. No, it’s not ‘Phantom.’


Three days after the Broadway League announced that all 41 theaters will make masks optional starting July 1, one of those theaters has decided to introduce mandatory face coverings.

The producers of the star-studded revival of “American Buffalo,” a 1975 David Mamet television series about three conspirators in a junk food store, announced Friday that they will keep asking for masks until the end of the show at Circle in the Square. Theater on 10/7.

It’s only 10 days away when Broadway plans to drop the industry-wide mask requirement and it’s just one show, but it shows that consensus between producers and theater owners may not be. steady.

There are several factors that make the “American Buffalo” situation so unusual.

The play, starring Sam Rockwell, Laurence Fishburne, and Darren Criss, is being held at the theater in Broadway’s only ring (it’s actually almost an inner ring, since the seats don’t completely enclose the stage. ), which means there are more patrons sitting at a distance from the actors than other cinemas.

In addition, Circle in the Square, with its current 751-seat capacity, is the only remaining Broadway theater that is not operated by a major corporation or a nonprofit, so its decisions are not subject to scrutiny. bound by the decisions of a larger organization.

Rockwell expresses concern about end of face covering policy in an interview this week with New York Times columnist Ginia Bellafante.

The show announced the change in policy in a press release, saying it was “due to the audience’s proximity to the actors due to the intimate size of the theater and the staging in the rotation. ” The producer and theater owner did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.

Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League, said of the “American Buffalo” decision, “As the optional mask policy goes into effect in July, there may be special situations that require spectators or certain audiences face must be covered. “

It’s unclear if the decision will affect other Broadway shows. Much of it took place in theaters run by a handful of major landowners, who endorsed the decision not to mandate masks. Four Broadway nonprofit theater operators, who have been more cautious about Covid, are not having any screenings this summer. And summertime fare on Broadway is dominated by big musicals, where audiences tend to lean toward tourists, many of whom come from places where masks have long since ceased to exist; Older New York players are scarcer this time of year (and the number of shows is also lower: there are currently only 27 shows running on Broadway).

After “American Buffalo” closes next month, Circle in the Square is expected to remain vacant until October, when a new musical called “KPOP” start preview.

Actors’ Equity, the union representing performers and stage managers, declined to comment on audience safety procedures, but this week sent an email to its members, previously reported by Deadline“This decision was made unilaterally, without input from your union or any other organisation, and unions were given only a few hours notice.”

While the decision has been announced by the Broadway Federation, it is up to theater owners and operators, and they plan to review the protocols monthly.



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