Cheers greet the reopening of three mega-hit Broadway shows

(15 Sep 2021) CHEERS GREET REOPENING OF THREE MEGA-HIT BROADWAY SHOWS Kristin Chenoweth, Julie Taymor and Lin-Manuel Miranda welcomed back boisterous audiences to "Wicked," "The Lion King" and "Hamilton" for the first time since the start of the pandemic -- marking Tuesday (14 SEPTEMBER) as the unofficial return of Broadway. Chenoweth surprised the crowd at "Wicked" by appearing onstage for a speech on the same stage where she became a star years ago. "There's no place like home," she said, lifting a line from the musical. The crowd hooted, hollered and gave her a standing ovation. Taymor, the director and costume-designer of "The Lion King," congratulated her audience for the courage and enthusiasm to lead the way. "Theater, as we know, is the lifeblood and soul of the city," she said. And Miranda at "Hamilton" summed up the feeling of a lot of people when he said: "I don't ever want to take live theater for granted." "The Lion King," "Hamilton" and "Wicked" all staked out Tuesday to reopen together in early May after then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo picked Sept. 14 for when Broadway could begin welcoming back audiences at full capacity. The crowds virtually blew the roof off the three theaters. At "Wicked," they stood and applauded the dimming of the lights, the welcome announcement, the arrival and departure of Chenoweth, the opening notes of the first song and several moments during that song, especially when Glinda says: "It's good to see me, isn't it?" Ticketholders to all three mega-hits had to prove they were fully vaccinated with an FDA- or WHO-authorized vaccine and masks must be worn at all times, except when eating or drinking in designated areas. Vaccine checkers in bright T-shirts inspected phones and cards as the crowds made their way into the theaters. "Thank you for getting vaccinated and wearing a mask," Miranda said, to roars of approval. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...