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reopenings2 1200x450

Celebrating Chicago, Hamilton, The Lion King, & Wicked Reopening Nights

Paul Art Smith | 

The lights of Broadway are shining bright! With few shows opening throughout the summer, September 14 signified the return of some of Broadway’s biggest blockbusters, bringing with it a palpable feeling in the Theatre District that Broadway is truly back.

The curtain has risen once again on Chicago, Hamilton, The Lion King, and Wicked. All four of these shows shuttered along with the rest of Broadway in March of 2020. On Tuesday night, September 14, they all welcomed audiences back into their theatres.

From opening numbers to curtain calls, watch all the festivities of this memorable night below.

Wicked

With a 7 p.m. curtain, Wicked was the first of the returning to shows to begin their performance. To kick off the night, Tony Award winner and the original Glinda on Broadway, Kristin Chenoweth, appeared on the stage of the Gershwin Theatre to welcome the audience back to the long-running hit.


Then, the curtain did indeed rise. As soon as Glinda came down in her bubble, the audience shot up to their feet.


At the end of the performance, the cast was joined for a second set of bows by the show’s composer, Stephen Schwartz. Oz is back!

The Lion King

At 7:30 p.m. The Lion King was next up to lift the curtain. From a speech with director Julie Taymor to their joyous opening number and final bows, Pride Rock being back on Broadway at the Minskoff Theatre will bring a tear to your eye.

Chicago

All that jazz was back when Chicago began their 8 p.m. performance at the Ambassador Theatre. Check out stars Ana Villafañe Bianca Marroquin, Paulo Szot, Lillias White, and the rest of the cast take their reopening night bows.

 

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Hamilton

And last but certainly not least, Hamilton was welcomed back to Broadway at 8 p.m. by none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda himself. Watch his emotional speech, embracing the return of the audience to the Richard Rodgers Theatre, and see the cast take their bows to rapturous applause. Consider it your peek into the room where it happened!