When everything shut down at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we never thought we’d be able to do anything that involved a large crowd ever again. Sports games? Weddings? Broadway shows? It all seemed like something in the past.

However, as vaccinations began to roll out and become more available, and the virus began to dissipate, the world began to look somewhat normal again. Even Broadway shows finally opened back up again. An entire audience getting to watch a cast sing and dance on stage to their favorite show? Yes please!“Aladdin” is one of the Broadway shows that had recently opened their doors again at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York. Guests were elated to be able to watch live performances of Aladdin and Jasmine and the whole crew signing on stage once again.

However, “once again” is really the key word here, as the show had to cancel their second show just one day after opening on September 28.

Though the entire cast of Aladdin was vaccinated, a number of breakthrough cases within the company occurred, making a few cast members unable to perform. “Through our rigorous testing protocols, breakthrough COVID-19 cases have been detected within the company of ALADDIN,” the show said in a statement.

That makes Aladdin the first Broadway musical to have to cancel a performance due to COVID since shows had resumed in June since the global shutdown. It really is a “whole new world,” isn’t it?

The reason for that is because some production companies have been able to keep going if breakthrough cases occurred with the help of backstage testing and understudies. For instance, “Waitress” experienced a positive COVID test in its cast right before its first performance, but they were able to quickly test the rest of the cast, all who were negative—and then the positive tester was replaced with an understudy.

However, this performance didn’t have those measures, so they had to cancel altogether. “Because the wellness and safety of our guests, cast and crew are our top priority, the Wednesday, September 29 performance was canceled,” the show explained.

Anyone who purchased a ticket for the canceled show will be refunded. Luckily, all future performances are planned to proceed during their scheduled dates.

“We will continue to provide support for the affected Aladdin company members as they recover,” the show said.

In general, all cast and crew for all Broadway companies, as well as Broadway audiences, are required to be fully vaccinated.

While it’s a bummer the performance was canceled, it’s nice that the staff were able to make safe decisions and protocols. Fingers crossed the crew is able to recover before those!

To get all the details, watch the video below.

How comfortable are you at large gatherings? Would you ever see a Broadway show in these current times?