‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ To Take A Break From Broadway As COVID-19 Affects Ticket Sales

Broadway show “Mrs. Doubtfire” is taking a short break from its performances beginning Jan. 10 amid dismal ticket sales as New York City faces an increasing number of COVID-19 cases.

Producers of the show announced that the musical comedy will take a short hiatus until March 14 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

“The first few months of a brand-new Broadway show are an extraordinarily delicate and important period of time. With the pervasiveness of the omicron variant of COVID-19, ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ would have to close permanently if the production didn’t take drastic, pro-active measures," Producer Kevin McCollum said in a statement.

"Out of concern for the potential long-term employment of everyone who works on Mrs. Doubtfire, and the extended run of the show, we have decided that following the January 9 performance, the production will close for nine weeks, returning on March 15,” he added. "Mrs. Doubtfire has been in development for six years. We are doing everything in our power to keep the virus from prematurely ending our run on Broadway. By taking this break we can afford to launch an extended run starting in March."

“Mrs. Doubtfire” opened in Broadway on Dec. 5 after a long delay when the government-mandated restrictions on gatherings led to the temporary shutdown of Broadway in 2020.

The musical show is based on the 1993 comedy film of the same title and is helmed by Tony award winning director Jerry Zaks. The show features a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, along with music and lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick.

New York City is dealing with increasing cases of COVID-19 fueled by the emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant. The rising cases of infections has crippled live theater shows and already forced five Broadway shows to cancel its performances as actors and crew members tested positive for COVID-19.

“Waitress,” “Jagged Little Pill,” “Thoughts of a Colored Man,” “Diana” and “Ain’t Too Proud” — ended their Broadway run amid a surge in cases. Other shows including “The Music Man” and “Hamilton” also announced cancelation of performances beginning last month.

Theatergoers who wish to exchange their tickets at a date after March 14 or those who wish to get a refund may do so from the ticket sales outlet.