The Book Of Mormon cancels Broadway performances for 2 weeks after NY theatre fire

NEW YORK – The Book Of Mormon, one of Broadway’s longest-running hits, is cancelling performances until May 17 after a fire damaged the New York theatre where the musical comedy has been running for 15 years.

An update about when performances might resume will come next week, the producers of The Book Of Mormon and ATG Entertainment, the British company that owns the theatre, said in a joint statement on the evening of May 6. They said that the damage had been limited to a lighting booth from which spotlights are operated.

The show hopes to celebrate its 15th anniversary in May with a “Magical Mormon Mystery Week” that would start June 9 and feature appearances at each show by original cast members Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, Nikki M. James and Rory O’Malley. Also planned were cameos from the show’s writers – “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, plus Robert Lopez – and other show alumni.

The electrical fire on May 4, at the century-old Eugene O’Neill Theater on West 49th Street, took place primarily in a lighting booth at the back of the house, but firefighters cut into the roof while seeking to contain the blaze. Photos from the scene show some smoke damage inside the theatre, whose interior has been designated a landmark by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Spokesperson David Maggiotto for the city’s Department of Buildings said the agency’s inspectors had “observed heavy fire damage to the spotlight room and the building’s roof”, and had issued a full vacate order, which prohibits use of the building until its owner completes repair work.

The agency also issued a partial vacate order affecting three rooms at an adjoining hotel that was also damaged by the fire.

The cause of the fire remains undetermined. The New York Fire Department said that its fire marshals were conducting an investigation and that one firefighter who sustained minor injuries is now all right. No one from the production company or the theatre landlord was injured.

The Book Of Mormon had previously cancelled its performances on May 5 and May 6. If the show reopens after May 17, it will have missed two full weeks of performances. The show had recently been grossing about US$750,000 (S$951,000) a week, and was hoping to increase revenue this spring as tourism in the city picks up and attention to the show’s anniversary intensifies.

The musical is the 10th longest-running show in Broadway history, with 5,648 performance seen by six million people and grossing US$885 million. It is also running in London and is on tour in North America and Australia. NYTIMES