NEW YORK – Producers of the Broadway musical “Mean Girls” have decided not to restart when authorities allow theaters to reopen in New York City, the second and likely not last established show to be a casualty of COVID-19 on the Great White Way.
The musical, based on Tina Fey’s hit 2004 film, will abandon its spot at the August Wilson Theatre, having played over 800 performances and grossing some $124 million.
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The production plans to relaunch its North American tour, which began in 2019, “this summer or as soon as performances can resume,” according to a statement. A film adaptation of the musical, announced last year, is also in the works.
“We remain excited to bring this musical to the big screen, relaunch the tour and prepare for a London production,” said “Saturday Night Live” and “Mean Girls” producer Lorne Michaels in a statement. "I look forward to the day, hopefully soon, when theaters can open their doors again.”
In May, the big budget Disney musical “Frozen” also decided not to reopen when Broadway theaters restart, marking the first time an established show had been felled by the coronavirus pandemic.
Broadway theaters abruptly closed on March 12, knocking out all shows, including 16 that were still scheduled to open. Late May is the earliest Broadway will reopen, according to the Broadway League.
Some scheduled spring 2020 shows — like a musical about Michael Jackson and a revival of Neil Simon’s “Plaza Suite” starring Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker — pushed their productions to 2021. But others abandoned their plans, including “Hangmen” and a revival of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits