The Fox Theatre canceled its Wednesday night performance of “Hamilton” at the last minute after some cast members tested positive for COVID-19.
The cancellation announcement was made while patrons waited outside the theater in the rain for that evening’s performance.
On Thursday afternoon, the show’s producers, Broadway in Atlanta, issued an updated statement on the cancellation:
“Some HAMILTON company members received positive tests last night, and the production needed to confirm that everyone else was negative. The turnaround time for the PCR tests were unexpectedly delayed, and they were unable to get them back in time to continue with the show. HAMILTON, Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Atlanta and the Fox Theatre apologize for any frustration this cancelation caused for ticketholders, which was a quickly evolving situation that was communicated as swiftly as possible.”
The rescheduled performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20. All tickets for the Sept. 15 performance will be honored for the newly scheduled Sept. 20 performance. A statement from the Fox Theatre reads: “Refunds and exchanges are available for any ticketholders who are unable to attend the added performance and can be accessed by contacting the original point of purchase: Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Atlanta subscribers can call 800-278-4447; and Fox Theatre ticketholders can call 855-285-8499.”
Wednesday’s statement from the Fox said out of “an abundance of caution for the cast, crew and musicians,” that the Wednesday evening performance was canceled. All remaining performances of “Hamilton” are scheduled to go on as planned, through Sept. 26.
Abigail Flowers, who drove from Auburn, Alabama, to see the show, told Channel 2 Action News, “We were very disappointed because we thought that people were joking originally when they said it was canceled, but it turns out it was true.”
This Atlanta stop of the national tour of the blockbuster musical was rescheduled from the spring of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, and many patrons had bought tickets for these performances almost two years ago.
One Facebook commenter wrote: “Scheduled time off work, drove 6 hours, spent $200 on a hotel room — on top of the $400 for tickets from 2 years ago — and stood in the rain for an hour before you decided to cancel. A heads up would’ve been nice.”
The Fox does not require that audience members show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test, but the cast and crew of the show are all fully vaccinated, as required by the Actors’ Equity agreement.
Broadway in Atlanta tests its cast and crew regularly. Also, the Fox requires face masks for all guests and staff.
Those attending the show are requested to arrive an hour early, which is why patrons found themselves standing in the rain on Wednesday when a staff member announced that the evening’s show would be canceled.
