Broadway Performance of ‘Hamilton’ Canceled Due to Canadian Wildfire Smoke
As smoke from Canadian wildfires blankets New York City, Broadway performances of “Hamilton” and “Camelot” was among those canceled Wednesday night (June 7).
“Hamilton” organizers scrapped the show less than two hours before the 8pm ET curtain call on account of cast members calling in sick, Variety reports.
“Tonight’s performance of Hamilton will not go on as scheduled. The hazardous air quality in New York City has made it impossible for a number of our artists to perform this evening,” reads a statement posted to the official “Hamilton” socials.
Regular programming should resume on Thursday, the statement continues. “We apologize for the inconvenience and encourage you to visit your point of purchase for refund or exchange.”
Also canceled was “Camelot,” with producers confirming “all tickets will be fully refunded at the point of purchase.” Reps say they’re hopeful performances will restart for the weekend, adding that health experts “will continue to closely monitor the ongoing situation.”
Other local shows affected by the hazardous conditions including the free Shakespeare in the Park production of “Hamlet,” which cut short its final dress rehearsal and nixed the first two preview performances of the play, set for Thursday and Friday nights in Central Park’s Delacorte Theater.
As previously reported, the ongoing air-quality issues caused by smoke from fires north of the border upended Chris Stapleton’s planned concert in Syracuse, New York, while the New York Yankees game vs. the Chicago White Sox and the WNBA fixture between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx were postponed.
According to IQAir.com on Wednesday, NYC currently has the worst air quality in the world due to more than 400 wildfires burning across Canada and smoke covering much of the eastern U.S.
The National Weather Service reports that “hazardous air quality levels will persist across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic through Thursday before shifting westward into Ohio Valley on Friday.”
In the meantime, New York City Parks Department has canceled or postponed all indoor and outdoor recreational activities.
Lars Brandle
Billboard
