FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The pandemic put live shows on hold for almost a year and theater fans are eager to get back in the seats. Now, The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is getting ready to welcome Broadway to town.
It’s been awhile since there was a Broadway touring show in South Florida, but Susie Krajsa, president of Broadway Across America, announced the lineup for the season.
“We are thrilled to say, and let everyone know, that Broadway will be back starting in November at the Broward Center,” Krajsa said.
The season is extra special with blockbuster hits such as “Pretty Woman,” “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations,” “Frozen,” “The Prom,” “Cats,” “Tootsie,” and the opener planned for Nov. 3, “Come From Away.”
“It’s a really appropriate story, everybody coming together around a challenge we all face, so it is a great way to start the series,” Kelley Shanley, President and CEO of the Broward Center, said.
To get the shows up and running and the theater in shape to welcome guests was no easy task.
Theater lovers can expect to see plenty of changes, many that we have all grown accustomed to since the pandemic created unprecedented shifts in daily life.
At the theater, there will be touchless services, plexiglass installed at concession stands, hand sanitizer readily available and, of course, everyone will be required to wear a mask.
Other safety precautions already in place at the Broward Center include no printed paper tickets available at the box office — mobile ticket delivery will go right to your phone and then ticket scanning will be contactless for entry. The theatre will operate at full capacity but everyone will be required to wear a mask.
The Broward Center worked with Cleveland Clinic in developing health and safety guidelines.
(See more about Broward Center’s COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.)
There are also some safety measures that you won’t see, according to Shanley.
“Changes we’ve made to the HVAC system will filter the air better, provide more fresh air, and make sure that if anything is airborne, it’s not moving around as much as it used to,” said Shanley.
“I can tell you that the producers and tours are all very excited as well and we cannot be more thrilled,” Krajsa said.
Ticket subscriptions are already available for purchase.
Here is the Broadway in Fort Lauderdale schedule:
- “Come From Away,” Nov. 3-14, 2021
- “The Prom,” Dec. 14-19, 2021
- “Tootsie,” Jan. 11-13, 2022
- “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations,” Feb. 8-20, 2022.
- “Disney’s Frozen,” March 9-20, 2022
- “Cats,” April 5-10, 2022
- “Pretty Woman,” May 5-15, 2022.
If there’s anything we’ve learned from the pandemic it is that we have to be flexible, but for now it looks like you can get you dancing shoes and mask ready and we’ll see you at the theater.
Find out more about Broadway in Fort Lauderdale season including event status updates. Click here.