A new production of “Macbeth” starring Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga is set to resume performances Tuesday night, 11 days after it was halted due to positive coronavirus tests among company members.
The scheduled resumption comes as four Broadway shows, as well as several Off Broadway productions, which have canceled performances as New York City’s coronavirus cases mount, are all trying to get back on their feet, in some cases after those testing positive, recovered, and in some cases even earlier through the use of understudies.
“Macbeth” only got three preview performances before shutting down on April 1, citing a positive test in the company; the next day it said Craig also tested positive. But on Tuesday, “Macbeth” was ready to return; the production suggested that both principals were healthy, post on Twitter that “Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga return to their thrones.”
Meanwhile, it remained unclear when a revival of the Neil Simon comedy “Plaza Suite” starring married couple Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick would resume performances after they both tested positive for the virus. That show has been canceled since April 7.
A new musical called “A Strange Loop,” which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2020 after an Off Broadway production, hopes to begin performances on Thursday, according to the production. The show was scheduled to begin previews on April 6, but postponed the show’s start due to positive virus tests in the company.
“Paradise Square,” a new musical that opened on April 3 but then canceled performances from April 7, citing virus cases, now plans to resume on April 16.
“Macbeth” and “A Strange Loop” are under intense pressure to resume their performances as they haven’t officially opened yet, and must do so by April 28 to qualify for this year’s Tony Awards. But the cancellations are costly to all shows, which have to continue to pay ongoing costs with no box office revenue and miss out on the opportunities for Tony nominators and voters to attend.
Off Broadway, the new musical “Suffs,” about the American women’s suffrage movement, is set to resume performances Tuesday, after canceling performances from April 5 due to virus cases. The show’s author and lead actor, Shaina Taub, is still recovering, so the central role of Alice Paul will be played by Taub’s standby, Holly Gould.
Both “Plaza Suite” and “Suffs,” which sold very well, have expanded their limited run to accommodate cardholders affected by the cancellations.
