The Los Angeles tour production of Hamilton now playing at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood had to shut down its performances Friday and through the Christmas weekend because of breakthrough Covid-19 cases among the cast, a blow to those who might have gotten tickets in their stockings this morning.
The news impacted Friday’s Christmas Eve show, where the audience had already been seated for a 2 p.m. performance before the postponement was announced. Sunday’s scheduled 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. performances have also been postponed.
hamilton show at pantages theatre just got cancelled because of covid cases backstage. wear your masks, get vaccinated, be safe.
— cassie 🐄 (@kiwicassie_) December 24, 2021
“As a result of rigorous health and safety testing protocols, we have been advised that there are COVID-19 breakthrough cases backstage,” reads a statement on the Pantages’ Instagram account posted Saturday. “The health and safety of our cast, crew, and audience are our top priority.”
It added that all ticketholders would be automatically refunded and would receive an email from Broadway in Hollywood, the organizers of the Tony-winning Broadway musical’s L.A. tour.
Both December 26 shows are listed as “Performance Cancelled” on the Broadway in Hollywood website where tickets are sold. The next performance in which tickets can be purchased is Tuesday, December 28 for the 8 p.m. show.
The stoppage mirrors what many Broadway productions are currently dealing with amid the current Omicron surge from postponements, cancellations to even outright shutdowns. The disruptions coincidentally include the Broadway production of Hamilton, which had to postpone shows earlier this week.
On Friday, the Hugh Jackman-Sutton Foster musical The Music Man canceled its Christmas Eve and Christmas Day performances after Foster tested positive Thursday. The show had just begun previews Monday at the Winter Garden Theater.