NEW YORK — The revival of “West Side Story,” which premiered on Broadway in February 2020, won’t be reopening when the Great White Way does, the show announced Monday.
“This difficult and painful decision comes after we have explored every possible path to a successful run, and unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, reopening is not a practical proposition,” producer Kate Horton said in a statement.
“We thank all the brilliant, creative artists who brought West Side Story to life at the Broadway Theatre, even for so brief a time, especially the extraordinary acting company, 33 of whom made their Broadway debuts in this production.”
The revival was beset by drama early in its run, with its opening postponed by two weeks after leading man Isaac Powell, who starred as Tony, hurt his knee on stage. And protesters were vocal against Amar Ramasar, who played Bernardo, after he admitted to exchanging nude photos of two women without their consent.
Lead producer Scott Rudin also announced last spring that he was “stepping back” from his Broadway jobs after facing multiple allegations of bullying spanning his decadeslong career.
“West Side Story” joins only a few other productions closing the curtains for good since COVID-19 shut down performances in March 2020, including “Mean Girls,” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “Frozen.” Other shows will start reopening next month.
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