The first Broadway theater has opened its doors since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic

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Nathan Lane, a three-time Tony-winning actor, and Tony-winning choreographer Savion Glover performed Saturday afternoon for frontline workers at the Actors Fund and Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS.
Nathan Lane, and Savion Glover left after their performances Saturday.

Both performers received standing ovations and delivered encores to the emotional audience.

The event is the first of 10 scheduled on Broadway in the next 10 weeks, “a pilot program designed to create a working model within which Broadway theaters can eventually reopen safely,” said NY PopsUp, the organizer, in a statement.

One of the attendees said that she ‘laughed so hard’ behind her mask during the performance.

“I think I was smiling every second, just the feeling that I was back in a room with people and had a shared human experience was incredible,” said Susan Slotoroff outside the theater. “My heart was pounding out of my chest, you could feel the excitement and expectation and nothing but positive energy in the room.”

New York is full of outdoor performances this spring and summer

“Broadway is the heartbeat of New York City,” said Slotoroff, who works at Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS, a nonprofit that raises money for HIV / AIDS-related causes.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that entertainment venues could reopen on April 2 with 100 in-house attendees, or 150 if all attendees have proof of completed vaccination or a recent negative test result.

All 41 Broadway theaters have been closed since March 12, 2020 due to the pandemic.

CNN’s Steve Coppin contributed to this report.

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