All language subtitles for Broadway Rising 2022 1080p WEBRip x265-RARBG

[traffic rumbling]

[upbeat music]

♪ Start spreading the news

♪ I'm leaving today

♪ I want to be a part of it

♪ New York, New York

♪ These vagabond shoes

♪ Are longing to stray

♪ We'll make a brand
new start of it ♪

♪ In old New York

♪ If we can make it there

♪ We'll make it anywhere

♪ It's up to you

♪ New York, New York

- [Actor] Come to New York,
and let's go on with the show!

[siren ringing]

- I'm being interviewed
and I know you don't care.

Thank you.

I'm very grateful to
be working on Broadway.

It's one of the best jobs
that you can actually have.

Some of the cast members
and some of the fans

viewed me as Broadway's
best stage doorman.

As you can see on
our board here,

just to let you know who's
running the Broadhurst here.

So if you ever wanted to know

what my little
office looks like.

Got the monitor, TV,

you know, and of course
we're under the stairs,

so I don't have much
head room, you know.

So this is the
Broadhurst stage door,

my home away from home,

where I spend six days a
week and oodles of hours at.

Broadway shut down March 12th.

I think I got sick
the following week.

- We all had a sense that things

were happening
very, very quickly,

and there was so
much fear in the air.

[upbeat music]

- And I heard the stirrings,

this virus taking
hold of the country.

And I told the cast, be careful.

Take care of yourselves.

[emotional music]

- You could feel the
walls closing in,

and the sense of fear that was

taking over the
city and Broadway.

- It was almost like
the AIDS pandemic,

where we didn't
know what it was,

and so we didn't know if
it was in the building.

We didn't know if
it was airborne.

We didn't know if it was saliva.

- It was all that
anybody could talk about.

- We were all shocked, stunned.

- Then I thought we might need

to really take a break for sure.

[tense music]

- We heard a rumor that an usher

at the booth had
contracted the virus.

And we thought, well,

that's right next door.

- I actually first heard about

the coronavirus
through the theater.

Ironically enough,

I was working 'Who's
Afraid of Virginia Woolf?',

and by the time I heard
about it, it was too late.

I started feeling this weakness,

and it was just,

I just remember
walking and, hmm,

that - I don't like
the way that felt,

and in my mind,

because of years of my
ancestors self diagnosing,

and you know, we have
to heal ourselves,

I was like, I'm
gonna get pneumonia.

[coughing quickly]

Dry cough, see there.

And I said, okay,

I'll just finish out the week,

get to the weekend, you know,

and then I'm gonna go
to the emergency room,

and let them handle it.

- People in the cast were
getting sick, one by one.

And we were all like, oh,

you know, this is weird!

And then it got worse
and it got worse.

- Then my entire life was
kind of flipped upside down.

- I remember walking
through the streets

and just seeing
people in a panic.

And I said to my partner,

I don't think that this
is gonna last very long,

where we're gonna
have a job anymore.

- I just had to sit there
in a quarantine room.

All they could do is tell me,
we don't know what's going on.

We don't know how
to deal with this.

People were hitting me up
that were in the theater

that knew about the usher
on Broadway has coronavirus,

but everyone else didn't.

It was traumatic.

I didn't want people
to know about that.

And the way they made it,

it was like I was
wearing a scarlet letter.

I was infecting people.

- [Newsreader] The move to
cancel all Broadway performances

comes a day after Broadway's
two largest theater chains

revealed that a part-time
usher and security guard

who worked at two
theaters in recent days

tested positive for COVID-19.

- I was just working
against the headwinds,

not really sure when they
were gonna blow me down.

[tense music]

We were opening on the 12th
at 6:30 in the evening.

On that morning, I came in,

was here so that all our
partners, and friends,

and cast members could pick
up tickets, pick up gifts.

It was very exciting.

But I also was feeling a bit
of a bell jar over all of us.

This night might not happen.

Yeah, okay.

Thank you.

And I, sure enough,

I got a call from the League

of American Theaters
and Producers,

who basically are the
trade organization

for all the producers
and theater operators.

- [Producer] Okay, do you need
your backpack for anything?

- To reduce the number of people

in a contagious environment,

no gathering with
500 people or more.

- He was going to close
Broadway for a month.

There's gonna be no red carpet,
there's gonna be nothing.

So as soon as we got the
Governor's announcement

and we all agreed we
were shuttering Broadway,

I then ran over to 43rd Street,

basically made the announcement.

You have to leave
the theater by five.

- Canceling a show is
unheard of on Broadway.

You know, you just don't do it.

The show must go on.

[emotional music]

- So to think that, you know,

shows were gonna be closed
for an entire month was,

yeah, mind boggling.

- I was crossing stage
left to stage right

with the ghost light on,

and then I said goodbye
to my life in the theater.

And I had a breakdown.

This has been my life.

- It all has been
threaded with despair,

grief, and loss,

and pain,

and patience you don't have.

- It was quite devastating,

because I knew that this
year was going to probably be

one of my busiest
years in theater,

bar none.

- [Miranda] Yeah.

So we have a big work call,

then rehearsal for anything
that happens today.

- I had to process
what that means,

not only not to have any work,

but also not to have
this immense opportunity.

- Let's see, my last
day pre pandemic,

I was at work on March 12th.

I was here to get my suit ready,

and do some last minute
things for opening night.

That was the night that "Six"

was scheduled to
open on Broadway.

I was here fixing my shoes.

Had my shoes ready to go.

And I couldn't stop
coughing, I couldn't breathe.

I ended up being isolated.

I was hospitalized for a week.

And then by the time
I came out of that,

my business had been shut down,

my industry had gone away, and
my employees were laid off.

- We've got the sign
that everybody likes.

- [Camerawoman] I love it.

- Before Covid, we were
rocking and rolling.

We were shut down on a Thursday,

and we had about 10
pickups that night,

which is about normal.

But every Broadway theater
was full at that point,

so that Sunday night,

we should have had, I believe
it was 30 plus pickups.

And so we went from
rocking and rolling,

to instant, like nothing
going on here at all.

And my help showed up on Monday
morning and was like, what?

You know, what are
we supposed to do?

Almost everything that you
can think of, we've cleaned.

When it was closing,
I think we pretty much

had every production that was
on Broadway that was running.

We sat down as a team,

and about half the staff
chose to not be here,

some of it out of
fear because of Covid,

but it kind of naturally
worked its way out

that the other half
have chosen to do

some sort of production with us.

And you know, were
trying to keep

the doors open till
Broadway returns.

[upbeat music]

- When the pandemic started,

we just had these
nights together.

Greetings from my quarantine.

Hope all is well in your world.

- [Eric] Do we have any
little extension cords?

- To cook together, and to,

it seems silly, but even just
go to bed at the same time.

You know, I'm getting home
from shows usually at 11 or 12,

and he was already asleep.

Oh my gosh.

Does the heartbeat sound good?

- [Doctor] Beautiful.

- Is it moving?

They always say there's no
good time to have a baby,

but I actually think it was
the perfect time for us.

It definitely looked different
than a normal pregnancy

not getting to have Eric there

with me because of
Covid protocols.

That was difficult.

He's a pilot,

and the aviation industry
is actually something

that got hit pretty hard
during the pandemic as well.

So it was interesting
both being in industries

where we had to step
back and be like,

what's happening now,
what do we do now?

I didn't think it was possible

for them to shut down Broadway.

I didn't think that
was something that
could even happen.

You know, doing something
eight times a week,

you know, it's your
entire existence,

being in that
theater essentially.

And so I think I
found really early on

in the pandemic
myself being like,

Alexa, play Broadway show tunes.

Right?

She's probably gonna
start doing it now.

And there she goes.

Alexa, stop.

♪ Let us be glad

♪ Let us be grateful

♪ Let us rejoicify that
goodness could subdue ♪

♪ The wicked workings
of you-know-who ♪

[piano music]

[tense music]

- Right before Covid hit,

I was in the Broadway
show "Frozen".

I started showing symptoms.

I didn't really
think anything of it.

I - It was just so off of my
radar that I'd have Covid,

and then two days
later I started

having like, a lot of
breathing problems,

and that's when I
went and got tested.

I was scared, but
I just thought,

well, you know,

they're saying it's like
the flu, so I'll be fine.

Well, at first I was just
kind of experiencing,
like extreme fatigue,

and then it got to the point

where I had to think to breathe,

and I could never
take a full breath.

I felt like I was dying, 'cause
I couldn't get enough air.

The breathing was the most

terrifying thing I've
ever experienced.

And I just kind of
physically and then mentally

just coached myself to inhale
and exhale every single day,

24 hours a day,

so I wouldn't have to
go into the hospital.

'Cause at that point, like,

who knows, you know?

I was just constantly in
a state of, I'm gonna die.

'Cause I saved them, these
are the note cards that I had,

you know, kind of taped
all around the room

when I would get
up in the morning.

Like this one says, get up,

it wants to keep you down.

And this one says, don't worry,

trust God, don't give up.

Yeah, there was just
little notes that I needed

when I woke up in the morning,

because if I would just
lay in bed and spiral,

and my anxiety would go crazy,

and I would just wonder if I was

ever gonna make it through this.

[upbeat music]

♪ If I take my best companion

♪ Drive him right
in the canyon ♪

♪ Tain't nobody's
business if I do ♪

- Nick was one of the most
loved people I've ever met.

Every time I would walk
down the street with him,

he was like, hey,

how you doing?

You know, like just
full of excitement,

and full of life.

- Yum, yum,
yum.

- We all knew, like right away,

when he went into the hospital
that things weren't great.

- And a really sad update here.

Former "Waitress" on
Broadway star Nick Cordero

has been hospitalized
and is in intensive care,

according to his
wife Amanda Kloots.

- He is struggling.

Just every minute
counts right now.

- It turned into
Nick is unconscious,

and Nick lost his leg.

It was just surreal.

- [Newsreader] So Kloots
is encouraging others

to sing their support
for her husband.

His co-stars.

- We love you Nick!

- We gotta wake him up.

We gotta wake him up,

and so I think that
if he hears his song,

if he hears his music.

So just put on Nick's
song "Live Your Life"

and just blast it in your house,

and play it loud, and
dance with your family.

- Nobody would've ever imagined,

even when he lost his
leg and things started,

like, that's gonna
suck for Nick.

But he'll make it,
he'll figure it out.

♪ Live life

- He's still gonna be, you know,

just doing his thing.

And he's gonna beat
this. He's gonna-

We got this, Nick.

We got this.

- [Newsreader] Nick
Cordero has died

after a long battle
with Coronavirus,

his wife Amanda Kloots
announcing that he passed away

this morning while
surrounded by his family.

- [Presenter] After more
than three months in the ICU,

he lost the fight.

- When he passed,
I just was like,

just in shock.

And I literally sat down,

and "Lucky Straight"
just came outta me.

It was like a
divine intervention.

I feel like he was with me in
that moment, in a weird way.

♪ We flew across the stage
on a Saturday night ♪

♪ I couldn't keep my eyes off
how your face looked light ♪

And certainly the song
that I wrote for Nick

was a major gift that
came to me in that time,

and I think was
very helpful to me

to heal some of that heartache,

and also share it with Amanda,

and especially our "Waitress"
family that loved him so much,

and trying to help send
some light his way,

and Amanda's way,
and Elvis' way.

♪ Story of my lucky straight

[tense music]

- Broadway had shut down and
we left the next morning.

I felt a great
sense of relief for

the companies working
on my various shows.

My husband is a, was a
lung cancer survivor.

And I remember thinking this is

something we have
to worry about.

My husband and I
decided to get out

of New York as
quickly as we could.

I wanted to protect him.

And then a week
later, he was gone.

- [Newsreader] This afternoon,

81 year old legendary
playwright Terrence McNally

died from complications
of the virus.

- We've lost a great New Yorker,

the great playwright
Terrence McNally.

- I'm one of the lucky ones,

'cause I got to be with
my husband when he died.

It was really early
in the pandemic.

And...

You know,

I was in my hazard suit
and I left the room.

We took him off a ventilator.

He knew I was there.

He squeezed my hand
and made sure I knew.

But I was devastated.

Just devastated.

I mean, Terrence and I
fought our whole lives.

We were on the front lines

of the marriage
equality movement.

He wrote so much about AIDS,

and really chronicled
a pandemic.

So the sort of irony
that a pandemic

would take his life was
- is not lost on me.

- I didn't really
know like, hey,

I have, you know,

the coronavirus.

I just thought that I, you know,

I either had the flu
or something like that.

My mother was the
strongest woman I know.

It wasn't until the coronavirus
hit her that it just,

whatever strength she had,

it sapped every bit of
strength out of her.

It kind of hit me.

I was questioning whether
or not I got my mother sick.

My mother was living in
an adult care facility.

I put my mom on FaceTime.

That was the last
time I saw my mom,

via a cell phone screen.

So I was going through
a real deep depression.

Didn't care to take
care of myself.

I just didn't care.

I've been a diabetic
for easily 20 years,

and my foot kept ballooning up.

I came into the hospital,
I guess on a Wednesday.

Thursday, the
doctor told me that.

He goes, listen,

the infection was into
the bone of your foot.

You have a choice.

You could be alive and
live with one foot,

or you can be dead in
a casket with two feet.

Which do you prefer?

- That's for Sunday
nights, okay?

Okay, do you have that?

Did you wash your hands?

Thank you.

My main concern at the
time was saving our home.

For half a minute, we were
packing up and we were moving,

we were gonna sell the house

and try to live in
my sister's basement.

I love my sister, but,

you know, that just was,

with four kids we were
like, I just - no,

I don't think so.

- I think we'll make a salad.

- [Little Child]
Dad, make a salad.

Salad's are great.

- It's gonna be great.

You can put ranch
dressing in dip.

- Okay.

- It was just watching
the bills come in,

trying to care for my family,
get everybody in homeschool,

learn fourth grade
math, which is absurd,

and continue to keep
the kids safe, and home,

and try to take care of us

in an industry that
was evaporated.

And...

It was delightful.

What more can I say?

- Jazzy, Jazzy.

What else do you need?

- We were gonna move
back to New York

and be fabulous theater people,

and get an apartment
in Manhattan.

And he would have his
career as a costume maker,

and I would pursue a directing
career for the stage.

But we got a call
about a little girl

who was living in a group home,

and she needed a permanent home

and she was almost
two years old.

- She immediately tagged
me as the weak one,

crawled into my lap,

started playing with my
beard, and pulling at my nose,

and kissy facing
and all that stuff.

And it was over.

[emotional chest]

She laid on my chest,

and it was just like this
perfect day of just nothingness,

and then we went nuts.

- [Brian] They called again,
and they had another infant.

- Clap your hands,
clap your hands.

- [Brian] And then we
brought in another baby.

We ended up with four children.

[children singing]

They've all been
officially adopted.

- I don't wanna throw up again.

- Okay, so eat slow.

- It's gonna be a
long time because--

- They'll never know.

- I did zero times zero.

- [Brian] What is
zero times zero?

- 100?

- We were homeschooling,

and while trying to figure out

how we were gonna save our home,

figuring out how we were
gonna help our employees

figure out a way to
survive the pandemic.

And we're gonna support our

sisters as they
learn new things.

- If I could rate my
experience right now,

and do like a Yelp
review for America,

I would give it one star.

One star.

And I would write the
words, would not recommend.

Would not recommend.

- Everybody in world
need to be watching this.

The world please watch this!

- [Crowd] [chanting]
I can't breathe.

- I don't have to
explain racism anymore.

It's happening in real time.

- [Crowd] [chanting] Black Lives
Matter, Black Lives Matter.

- Coronavirus, Covid
is a truth serum,

and it's gonna reveal to you
be the person you really are.

And right now, Broadway has
to see what it really is.

These things can and
need to get better,

and now people are
standing up for themselves.

The world is changing
and we have momentum.

- Supporting and
eliminating racist,

ableist, and
misogynistic behavior,

we will lose that foothold.

- I don't want to
come out of this

the same person that
I went into it as.

So to figure out what
that change needed to be,

for me, so that I'm not
repeating that lesson.

I'm not - I don't have
to tell that story again

until I learn it next time.

- The year during Covid really
gave me a pause to reflect.

And I think the most
important thing that happened

was the way in which many of us

responded to the
death of George Floyd.

- [Newsreader] For some workers

in the now shuttered
theater industry,

they say the time is
ripe for a major reset

when the curtains rise once more

on stages in New York
and across the country.

- I hope that that's the
byproduct of this downtime,

and that the last
year and a half

hasn't been sustained
virtue signaling,

but actually is about
fundamental systemic change.

- It's been painful,
it's been fraught,

it's been difficult.

You know, it's given us
time for true introspection.

It's also allowed us to
interrogate our practices.

- It's been horrific
in one sense,

and yet eye opening in another,

because it gave
us all the chance

to stop and really
gather your thoughts,

gather your intention,
your desires.

And I'm a silhouette,

'cause the light is
coming straight down.

You don't see my face.

And then I do, Manny was better
to me than my own mother!

She treat everybody
like they're people.

Took me out the gutter.

And you just see my
body and the voices.

And then I walk straight
down in the dark.

You don't see my
face until the bottom

of the stage and
the lights come up,

and then I'm heard.

We've had time to think and
reassess how we do business.

Broadway.

It's - first of all,
it's a business.

It also is a playground
for some very powerful,

wealthy white people
who invented it,

who made Broadway.

And they want to
control it continually,

and be comfortable in it.

Unfortunately for them,

people who have been
ignored, neglected,

but yet utilized
to the advantage of
Broadway are saying,

no mas, not that same way.

We don't want to
come back to Broadway

and just be waiting to
be asked to do the dance.

No, we wanna dance
ourselves to our own tune,

to our own music.

It's different to
sit at the table,

but if the table's not yours,

after you finish sitting
in the middle to serve,

you have to leave.

So I don't want to
sit at the table.

I want to have a
piece of the table.

- So I'm a playwright in
residence at the Signature.

I was gonna use this
opportunity to invite

a group of younger
theater makers

to animate the entire
Signature Theater.

Here, it felt like
it was a safe space.

And so I think that
that's why we came up

with the notion of
"The Watering Hole".

And we thought it's kind of like

the watering hole
in the Savannah,

where you have all of
these animals who for five,

10 minutes are able to
come and be together,

and feel safe.

And once everything's
back up and running,

I think it's really easy
to go back to the default.

And so we have to
put systems in place

that won't permit
that to happen.

So during this past year,

what I personally was able
to do is to sort of reflect

on the way in which I
want to return to theater,

and to reflect on
my own complicity

in the way in
which I was treated

and others were
treated in theater,

and figure out how can
we make it more diverse?

How can we make it more
reflective of the theater

that we as a multicultural
universe want?

I thought if we're
gonna come back,

we have to disrupt
that entire system.

We can't accept
that that's the way

in which it's going to be made.

- There is work to be done.

Are we being equitable?

And is it diverse enough?

And is it inclusive enough?

Figuring out ways to change
an industry that we love,

but we aren't happy with
the way that it's run.

- A lot of people
think that theater,

while it is a very happy,

open, welcoming community,

it is not void of any
systems of oppression,

because it is related
to capitalism.

It is related to
supremacy and hierarchy.

- The world is screaming
in all the ways,

and we can no longer pretend
that we don't hear it.

If we don't move forward, I
don't know what would happen.

So that is the only choice.

- [Lynn] Coming out of Covid,

we're going to really
need our storytellers

to be present and to reflect
back on what has happened,

and also to help
shape what I feel

needs to be a much better world.

Inclusion is really not just

about putting
diversity on stage.

Does this entire theatrical
ecosystem really support

the way in which BIPOC people
want to tell their stories?

[sirens ringing]

- Being in New York City
during the pandemic,

it was a town I
didn't recognize.

Scary at times,

and isolating and lonely.

- With theater, everything
is based on our working.

So a lot of people
ran out of insurance,

because they didn't
have work weeks,

so you start looking at
everything else as, like,

if I get sick, and I
don't have insurance,

and I don't really have a job,

what are we all gonna do?

- This is having a
devastating impact for actors,

producers, stage hands
and theater workers,

which impacts nearly
100,000 workers.

- Think about the
external economy,

the restaurants, and the hotels.

I mean, that's nearly
a $15 billion industry.

- We're still calculating the
loss that's going to happen.

I can't tell you how many people

left the theater
to pay their rent,

and are not coming back.

So that's like a story
that's still being written,

and I'm terrified about it.

- When the shutdown happened,

I literally had to figure out,

you know, where I
was gonna go back to.

I had gone back to Toronto,

and I wasn't interested
in music, really.

I had no desire to sing,

create anything.

It was rough.

- It was a shock to
the system how quickly,

how easily, and how fragile
this business can be.

- [Newsreader] Nearly
100,000 workers rely

on Broadway for
their livelihoods,

but the Pandemic has killed
the lights on Broadway,

and will stay dark until 2021.

- After the months
continued to compile,

and I was like,
I'm not relieved.

I'm scared.

I'm afraid right now,
what's gonna happen?

- [Reporter] John
Kristiansen and Brian Blythe

run a costume shop in New York,

and founded the Costume
Industry Coalition,

raising funds to help support

hundreds of fellow
costume makers,

specialty vendors, and other
industry small businesses.

- Most people don't really see

how much there is that
goes into what we do.

- We know that the entertainment

industry is going to return.

We just wanna ensure that we're
still around when it does.

[emotional music]

- [Interviewer] Upfront
now is Adam Perry,

a Broadway actor
who tested positive

more than a 100 days ago.

How bad is it still?

- I mean it's quite
terrifying, to be honest.

There's nothing like the feeling

of not being able to breathe.

- As a Broadway
actor and a dancer,

it requires stamina and lung
capacity to do your job.

Are you worried about getting

back into shape and being 100%?

- It's scary.

I mean, I've been been
dancing and singing

on Broadway for
the past 20 years,

and all of a sudden I just don't

have the capacity
that I had anymore.

So I'm just trying to stay
hopeful for the future

that they will get
back to normal.

Right before Covid hit,

I was kind of already facing
a crossroads in a way,

because I was 39, I was injured.

Doing eight shows a week
had just gotten really hard.

I would just come home
and I would have to ice,

and was just like in
pain all the time.

Yeah, can I just do five stems?

Yeah, okay.

I don't think I would've
been as successful

as I had been had I
really accepted the fact

that I couldn't do it forever.

I just assumed that I
would just keep dancing.

I mean, dancing has been
my passion since I was,

could remember.

You know, I sacrificed
everything to become a dancer.

- [Robbie] Literally never seen

so much lilac in my entire life.

I think that my favorite
flower is a peony.

Pop in some peonies,
maybe get some peonies.

- I always think
you're saying penis.

- [Robbie] Oh well, not today.

- So last summer, Robbie
called me and said,

hey, I'm starting
a floral business.

Do you want to come
and help me out?

- And so the whole
motto of the business

is that it employs
out of work performers

who have an affinity
for florals.

So yeah, everybody who's
involved with Boo-Kay,

from the website designer,
to any assistant I have,

to any florist is a
performer of some kind,

which is fun.

- I love it.

Working in the flowers
was just like zen.

It brought me out of a deep,

dark depression that I
was in from everything.

From getting sick and having
this new sense of my mortality.

- We went to that lady's house,

and made two
flanking arrangements

on the side of this
gorgeous fireplace.

And it was like, felt like
a performance of sorts.

Do you know what I mean?

We went - we had costumes, we
got on these workman Dickies,

we came in with our,
we're performers.

We love our costume, you know?

- I have a lot of
love in my life,

and the theater community really

rallied around Terrence and me.

- Hi!

- Oh my God.

- We were just
talking about you.

As President of
the Lilly Awards,

it's our great
pleasure to award you

with the very odd
title of Miss Lilly.

- My God!

- Happy Lilly's to you!

There he is!

Miss Lilly!

- This is for your life
of activism and advocacy

on the part of the
LGBTQ community,

for your and Terrence's loyal
support and encouragement

for the Lilly's and their
activism for women in theater,

for producing the
female led "Hadestown",

and Terrence's plays,

chocked full on roles for women,

for loving and caring
for Terrence, 'cause
we loved him too.

We crown you Tom
Kirdahy, Miss Lilly 2020.

- [Crowd] Yay!

[laughs quickly]

- In a year of extraordinary
pain and challenges,

it is a genuine blessing to
share this with Terrance,

and to make sure that
women's voices are heard

and celebrated on stages
all across the globe.

And I wanna say thank you.

[crowd applauding]

[crowd cheering]

- Before the pandemic,

I played "Waitress" for about

almost four years at that point.

And I was ready for a change.

But then when the shutdown
actually happened,

it was a real, like,

uh oh, what are we gonna do now?

Nothing, nothing.

So then everybody rushed
to do something else,

to try and promote themselves,

or to try and make a
living as an artist.

Hey, this is Meg Toohey.

I'm gonna be coming to
you live on Thursday

for "Shut In and Sing"
from Maplewood, New Jersey.

And you're just
trying to do something

kind of rinky dinky
outta your basement.

It's tough to compete.

I'd look over at
the numbers and say,

oh, well,

last week I had 40 people,
this week I have 10 people.

This week I have no - no one.

And you start judging
yourself on that,

which is ridiculous.

And I'm just sitting
there going, like,

I don't wanna, I don't
wanna do any of this.

You know, my partner's
working 24 hours

a day to try and keep
her business afloat,

and support me, and
support our kid,

and all these things
were happening

that started shifting this like,

this would be a
nice time to really

connect with myself again,

to like, who am I?

I really dug into to my
own music at that point.

I thought like, well,

I may as well use this
time to be creative.

- So I had been playing Glinda

on the national tour of
"Wicked" for a few months

when Mary Kate came
in as my Elphaba.

We loved working together
so much on stage,

and dreamed about ways
that that could continue.

So it was about one
month into the pause,

we're on the phone,
we're catching up,

we're kind of talking about our

various quarantine activities.

And she said,

I think it's time for us to
start our teaching business.

So some people, you know,

invest lots and lots of
money to pad their walls.

But all you really need is
like a good jean jacket,

a leather jacket,

and then some of your
husband's work shirts,

Mary Kate Morrissey,

we're about to start
our very first class.

How are you feeling?

Ah!

We sort of put it out into
the Instagram universe

and got almost a
hundred auditions,

which was crazy.

There she goes!

Perfect, yes.

You guys look incredible.

Here's kind of how
class is gonna go today.

We're gonna start with
our icon interview.

And it just kept
building, building,

building and, you know,

had kids join us from
all over the world,

and all over the country.

- I'm Betty, I'm
from the Philippines.

It's 1:22 AM.

- Did you feel
like you had to be

really careful not
to over project,

or over exert yourself,
or hurt your voice,

like, doing things
through a mask?

- Yeah.

And you guys know
I was doing Janice,

so I was like, and you can't.

- It made musical theater feel
more meaningful than ever,

sort of to create
a place to sing,

and act, and dance,

and to have community in a time

where people were
feeling so isolated.

♪ Now I know, don't be scared

♪ Brand new actions,
be prepared ♪

♪ Because you've got an
awfully long way to go ♪

- And then I know
for me personally,

even teaching a music
theater history class

and re-examining sort
of my roots has made me

fall in love with musical
theater all over again.

We just got back so much more
than than we ever dreamed.

You better boo boo.

Can you guys believe it?

- It's the start of
our last chapter.

- Week Nine!
- Nuts.

- Really bonkers, it's
gone by so quickly.

- It has.

- All right.

♪ Everybody dresses
in clothes so fine ♪

♪ Everybody's pockets
are weighted down ♪

♪ Everybody's sipping
ambrosia wine ♪

♪ In a goldmine in Hadestown

♪ Way down in Hadestown

♪ Way down under the ground

- I'm here with
Jewelle Blackman.

Jewelle is a singer, songwriter,

actor, playwright,

and violinist.

She has been in the Canadian
companies of "Hadestown",

"The Lion King"
and "Dream Girls".

And she made her Broadway
debut in "Hadestown" as a Fate

How are you?

- I'm dealing as best
with the situation,

like I'm sure everybody is.

Still strange.

Luckily have my son
to keep me busy.

One of the beautiful
things about this shutdown

is that I've been able
to refocus on myself,

and my artistic value,

and my artistic
creativity and curiosity.

And a program came up
through a theater company

called Musical Stage Company,

and their focus was
on BIPOC creators.

New storytellers who
wanted to develop

new works in the musical field.

[rap music]

The creative process for
"Boy Boy and the Magic Drum"

has been so fulfilling
in the sense that

I'm tapping into a
part of my culture,

my parents' culture,

and bringing it to
musical theater.

I love Soca, and Calypso,

and Western Caribbean music.

And then mixing that with
the art of musical theater

and putting it together
on stage for children,

other children of color
who may not see themselves

always represented in
children's theater specifically.

And so it's been
fulfilling in so many,

so many different aspects.

[relaxing music]

- When Covid hit,

I was in Long Island to
be part of the Dino Squad

for "Jurassic World
Live: The Tour".

They were like, oh,

audiences above 600 are banned,

and we were in a hockey stadium.

And then the show was canceled.

Not a day went by
when I didn't get

a text message from my father,

who was like, are you sure you
don't wanna be an engineer?

I didn't wanna give up.

I'm not gonna lose my shot.

I was able to remain
on partial employment

with Roundabout Theater Company,

and for my personal projects,

I started to make a bunch of
clothes out of garbage bags.

With the whole pandemic,

it was basically another
summer for my childhood,

and I found ways to be
creative and crafty again.

You know, just me
cutting up garbage bags.

As per usual.

I am your garbage princess.

I'm wearing a garbage bag!

And basketball shorts
underneath this.

You can't even see them.

Oh my god.

I could cry.

Girl, did you see this?

I just made this!

- I had two Facebook
friends, fans of the show.

What they did was,

so they had set a GoFundMe page,

help support Broadway's
Best Stage Doorman.

That actually was the headline
for the GoFundMe page.

So those two ladies
are my guardian angels.

We would be probably
be decimated

in bills if it wasn't for them.

You can see who donated money,

and so I'm scrolling
across the list of names,

the fans, the stage managers,

the actors, the dancers,

the musicians.

And I'm just overwhelmed
with the amount of love

from the Broadway
community for me.

'Cause I, you know,

I thought of myself as just
a simple stage doorman.

I didn't think I was deserving

of so much love from
the Broadway community.

- We miss you!

[crowd cheering]

Love you, Ernie!
Ernie, I love you!

[emotional music]

[sirens ringing]

[phone ringing]

- Okay, good morning everyone.

Let's make some announcements.

Today, we have all really
good news for New York.

Broadway tickets
go on sale today

at 100% capacity for theaters.

The shows open September 14th.

That's a function of how
Broadway operates, obviously.

- That's all we need

That's all we got.

Happy day, happy day.

All right, so we're pressing go

on that Toby and Lucy video.

Great.

- [Assistant] He's posting
the video right now.

- [Lucy] Hi Queendom!

We are really excited
to announce the date

of the first active presale
of "Six" on Broadway.

- [Toby] The presale will
begin this Thursday, May 6th!

- Yep.

- [Assistant] All
right, it's live.

- As producers, we
are deeply serious

about keeping everyone safe
so that we can do what we do,

which is put on shows.

- This is a,

I'm collecting a saliva
sample for a pooled PCR test.

It's of utmost importance
that the protocols we have

for reopening include testing,

since many people
who are vaccinated

don't experience
any symptoms at all.

- I was still skeptical.

I'm still skeptical.

We're not out of this virus.

I know that there'll
be Covid protocols,

but we're singing.

We're spitting.

Well, hopefully not spitting,

but there is a lot of saliva.

- [Blythe] If I have a
really large musical where,

let's say, 200 of the
samples come in one bag,

and the way that you
have your operations,

could those be conveniently
added into a pool

if it wasn't already up to 24?

- [Prem] What, for one company?

Oh absolutely.

As long as they have
all the same company.

- [Lab Technician] Oh,
the company barcode.

So the bar code's gonna have
everything within there. Okay.

- Even right now,
opening our theaters,

our productions, it leaves
a lot of question marks.

We don't know what that means.

We just have to be vigilant,

and we have to be a
little more determined,

and we have to be
harder on each other.

- My first line of the show is,

it's good to see me, isn't it?

And I think it's gonna feel
like a really big honor

to get to welcome audiences
back to the Gershwin.

[Ginna singing]

So my preparations in
the next couple months

look like getting back in
shape in every way possible.

Physically,

vocally, mentally.

So I've jumped back
into voice lessons

with my teacher
Derek Rosenblatt,

getting ready to gear up and
sing Glinda eight times a week.

- Really clean onset.

[singing]

- When I was in here
a few weeks ago,

and he started
playing the opening.

I was like, you're lying.

It's not that high.

You're playing jokes on me.

He's like, no,

no, no.

That's what's written.

- Anything you didn't like?

The issues for me have
been you were singing

two the top instead
of through the top,

so the energy wasn't expansive

all the way through
the exercise.

- Yeah, if I could just have you

in an earpiece during the show.

- [Derek] Let's talk to Dan.

- [laughs quickly] Yeah, great.

[tense music]

- [Physiotherapist]
Can you put it on?

- Yeah.

When I go back to
work, you know,

you better come see my show.

- [Physiotherapist] Yeah.

- And I'll take you backstage

and I'll introduce
you to everybody.

They'll love you,

because you're the one who got
me able to go back to work.

Let's do it.

Okay, just a little bit nervous.

So far so good!

25 years ago I was in
the Air Force ROTC,

and I had to run a
mile in 12 minutes.

So to do 15 minutes, and do
a mile with a prosthetic,

I think that's pretty damn good.

Hoo-wee!

[sighing quickly]

- I'm sorry, honey,

I didn't have time to bake.

- Aw honey, thank you very much.

♪ Happy birthday to you

♪ Happy birthday to you

♪ Happy birthday my hubby

♪ Happy Birthday to you

- [Maribel] Make a wish.

- [Ernie] Okay.

- [Maribel] Say Paris?

- [Eric] Paris?

That's right.

Paris, France.

Again.

- [Maribel] Again, yes.

- Pants, we're gonna
take in a little bit,

just to give them some,
you know what I mean?

He's gonna pinch
him in a little bit?

- Just a tad more
of a break, yeah.

Yeah.

- They feel very comfortable.

This is the fitting
for "Lackawanna Blues",

for the actor in
"Lackawanna Blues"

by Ruben Santiago-Hudson.

The writer, very nice guy.

Ruben Santiago-Hudson.

And the director is me,
Ruben Santiago-Hudson.

That's what they call a
split personality situation.

[upbeat music]

1956.

Lackawanna, New York.

Like all Great Lake
cities, was thriving.

"Lackawanna Blues"

You know, I named it
"Lackawanna Blues",

'cause blues means story.

And what happened to my life is

this woman happened to
me named Rachel Crosby.

We called her nanny, and
she became my mother,

because my mother
became a heroin addict.

And so I watched her
goodness every week,

the door, it was like a turn,

somebody else needed,
and she responded.

And then somewhere in it,

you see how she
put them together

when they were broken apart.

A car ride in the country
with nanny was always a joy.

So I wanted to say
thank you to her,

and thank you to all the people

in our lives who've
been that rock for us.

- You know what, let me do this.

28.

- You know, when you
see "Lackawanna Blues",

you begin to reflect, hopefully,

and witness the
power of humanity

and human beings taking
care of each other.

- Morning everybody.

All right, let's
see where we are.

- [Assistant] We are
four minutes from being

on sale to the general public,

and that is where we are.

- Wow.

- [Assistant] Presale, woo!

- Well done.

They're huge.

On day one, we did 2 million.

And then the last three days
of people sharing the code,

I mean, another million.

So we're over three, four
before we're on general sale.

And I think it's a
great leading indicator

that people wanna
come back to Broadway.

How are we doing?

- [Assistant] We've almost
sold 100,000 dollars--

- In 20 minutes?

- [Assistant] In 20 minutes.
All right I'm gonna-

- Good.

- [Assistant] Have you seen?

In 30 minutes?

30 minutes, we are at 3131.

- 256,000 already?

I think we'll do more.

So today is May 10th, 2021.

Today we went on general sale

for both "Six" and "Doubtfire".

In the first hour,

"Six" sold about two - a
quarter of a million dollars.

So we're looking for, you know,

at least a million dollar day.

Maybe more, we'll see.

So even though this sounds

like a big number
that we're selling,

it's not that much given
how much time we have,

because theater's expensive.

Each show is gonna spend
between seven and $8 million

to get to its first
preview starting now.

We're spending
money we don't have.

But we have to.

It doesn't feel good, but
someone's gotta do it.

[classical music]

- [Worker] Are you ready, Bella?

Ladies and gentlemen, the
Drama Bookshop is now open!

Welcome!

- Hi Alan!

- Well, I mean,

it's been hard.

It's been heartbreaking.

Not just as a performer
missing audiences,

but as someone who employs
lots of performers.

And it's been amazing
to watch sort of folks

rally around virtual
theater and fundraisers,

and, you know,

Seth Rudetsky was miraculous.

But we miss an audience.

Like we are all Tinkerbell
and we need applause to live.

It's also a big
part of this too.

You know, we bought this
before the pandemic hit.

We were set to open last
year, didn't happen.

And so much about theater
is about gathering, right?

And this is one of
the places in the city

where people feel a
sense of community.

I'm really, really
happy we're back.

Thank you for supporting
the bookshop, take care!

- [Brian] A designer
designs costumes on paper.

What John does is
build couture costumes.

They're built to spec.

- And it's human
beings that do it.

It's not like we go to a
box and just, there it is.

Here's the solution to
all of your problems.

We have to sit, and meet,

and plan and solve.

When I started in this
industry 25 years ago,

it was normal for a
Broadway production

to give you three
months lead time,

so that you could do
the proper exploration

and the proper development.

And now we've come to
post pandemic, two weeks.

- [Anna] I look like
I have a butt again.

- You know what, you've
always had a butt.

[Anna laughing]

In 2009 with the
financial crisis,

we suddenly were asked to do
shows in three weeks time,

which was way too fast.

But because we were also
happy to continue working,

we made it happen.

And that's kind of
become the norm now,

so that you get, you know,

you get where you can,

but it's not the same
quality that we expect,

that we would prefer to do.

- [Anna] It looks
so good, oh my God!

- And now post pandemic,

when people have gotten a chance

to realize that they
don't breathe costumes,

that there is a life to be done,

it's become a challenge.

There are a couple of days
I've actually come in and said,

I'm just going to
do my best today.

And that's all I can do.

And if I don't make a deadline,
I'm gonna make a phone call.

Like, what else can I do?

- [Anna] You're a human being.

- And this is a
collaborative process,

so we all have to bring what
we can and do what we do.

- For me, I want to
constantly remind people

that there are people
who make these things.

There's no 13th floor at Macy's

that actually provides
these costumes, so.

The Costume Industry
Coalition represents

over 500 specialty artisans
who are all out of work.

I'm gonna move around.

I feel like I
should have a flag.

So we're walking, we're walking.

We have the painters
and the pleaters,

the embroiders, the
fabric printers.

And then we come
around over here.

This is gonna be the
"Wicked" section.

When we ended 2020,
the coalition,

we were in a huge amount
of collective debt,

and putting on an exhibition.

The hope is to, you know,

use it as a tool to raise money,

sell tickets, get
people to understand.

From "Frozen", we're
focusing on two Elsa pieces,

and then a muslin,

'cause this whole section is
really about design to build.

So we're trying to show a
little bit how we can take

a two dimensional and make
it a three dimensional.

They have this abandoned
Modell's in Times Square,

and they said, can you
do anything with it?

And it's like, we're
theater people.

Yes, of course we
can put on a show.

We know how to do that.

There's gonna be a
table here with a Bible,

and swatches, and
everything that'll be here.

And then again, this is gonna
be one of those infographics.

So anytime you see what's
going on with the product,

you should see how
it is being made.

If we pull this off,

it's gonna really position us

as members to survive
this pandemic.

[emotional music]

- [Camerawoman] How does it
feel to be back in here, Kevin?

- [Camerawoman] How does it
feel to be back in the theater?

Alright, let the games begin.

- It feels surreal,
but there's me!

I think weirder than
seeing that photo of me,

'cause it's like a press shot.

It's Glinda.

It's like seeing
my name next to it.

Like, whoa,

that's really me!

I'm walking to the
rehearsal room,

and the theater's kind of dark,

but I love that everything's
just a sensible shade of green.

So I can't go into
my dressing room

yet because of Covid protocols

and some cleanings
that are happening.

So I've been loaned
the Assistant Stage
Manager's office,

where I am pumping with
my portable LV pump,

and doing a little warmup.

Momming on the go.

This is what it's going
to be like, it's crazy.

My letdown just happened.

This is our gorgeous
rehearsal room.

Ugh, it feels so good
to be back in here,

just doing a warm up.

This is the ride, y'all.

And usually the cast
is down there below me,

and warming up their
bodies or voices,

or getting into character.

I've got this sweet glow
from the lights around,

and I get to spend, yeah,

a couple minutes up here
before the show even starts.

Say a prayer, wiggle
my toes in my shoes,

ground myself, center
myself for a moment.

We're just three days out
from opening, which is crazy.

We're ready, Mark!

- The Great White Way is back
and it's blacker than ever

Broadway reopens this fall.

The best part is that
seven of the new works

are penned and performed
by black artists.

Up first, joining me now
is Ruben Santiago-Hudson,

author, star,

and director of
"Lackawanna Blues"

How thrilled are you by this,

by your participation in this
historic moment for Broadway?

- Well first of all,
thank you for having me.

But you know, we don't want
this to be a flash in the pan,

a look, we tried
kind of situation.

We want to get out and show
the world the integrity,

the beauty, the disdain.

and joy, and anger,

and laughter of African
American people,

BIPOC people all
over this nation.

So for us to come out
right now on Broadway

and really show the
glory of who we are,

it's a great moment,
but I want it to last.

I don't want it to
be just a moment.

- Over the last 18 months,

there have been, I think,

a lot of lessons learned,

and a lot of lessons that
will continue to be learned.

And until we learn that lesson,

we have to recycle,
and re-circle,

and learn it again.

- [Air Hostess] Good
afternoon and welcome to New
York's LaGuardia Airport.

- Yes, theater can be a
healing form for many.

We're here, and it's
the first day of tech.

But if it doesn't include
everyone and respect everyone,

then it won't be that healing
force that it claims to be.

- [Director] Okay
folks, can we circle up?

- [Lynn] I just wanted to
bring everyone together

who's involved with
The Watering Hole.

This ritual is something that I

always do whenever
I have a show.

It's just acknowledging the
continuity of what we do,

and of putting stories
into the world,

which are super important.

And I feel like
now more than ever,

as we're coming out of Covid,

we're going to really need our
storytellers to be present,

to reflect back on
what has happened,

and also to project
into the future

and help shape what I feel
needs to be a much better world.

And with that, theater
commences again.

[crowd cheering]

- Hi!

- You good?

You're good.

- Yes, thank you.

Yes, tell me,
don't ask.

Yeah, just tell me.

Tell me we're good.

We'll go round in the
circle and I'll talk last.

I'll talk very last.

[crowd applauding]

- It is extremely moving to
stand up before this community

of people to welcome you
back into a rehearsal room,

into creation after we literally
have survived a plague.

We have this beautiful play,

transcendent play written by
Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu.

And I will pass it on to the
genius herself, Antoinette.

- In typical
Nwandu-Taymor fashion,

I actually changed what we're
gonna do without telling you.

So now everybody's
gonna say who you are,

and then I'm gonna talk last.

[crowd cheering]

- Okay, okay,
okay, okay.

Blythe invented the NBA bubble.

Bow down, bow down,
bow down, bow down.

- Belau Benjamin,
part of the BIPOC team

with Realman Productions.

- Tony Entrial,
Realman Productions.

BIPOC Marketing and Press.

- Woo, what's that?

BIPOC Marketing?

Oh shit!

Oh shit!

There we go!

My God.

My God.

I say to each of you,

bring your A game,
and your A game,

and your A game,
and your A game.

And I say to each of you,

I don't care if
we win any awards.

Close your ears, Matt.

I don't care if we recoup.

We are the healers.

We are here to heal our people,

so that they can go out
and save the fucking world.

Let's go, let's get into it.

Amen, I love you.

I love you, I love you.

[audience clapping]

[audience cheering]

- I added a little cushion.

It's a little thin.

This has grown a little since

the last time I played the show,

so I'm trying to
maximize my space.

- On behalf of our entire
company, our whole production,

welcome to our
"Waitress" family,

and we just wanted
to share with you

how deeply we are holding
Nick in our hearts.

- Thanks guys,
thank you so much.

Thank you for all the love
and support that came our way,

you know, during his fight.

It meant the world to
me, it seriously did.

And I know it would've
met the world to Nick too.

You know, he loved you guys.

I can't wait to be
here for opening night.

- We are so happy
you're gonna join.

- I will bawl the whole time.

[laughs quickly]

- Actually, we all
have been talking.

How are we even gonna
get through this show?

You have been on our hearts,

and we wanted to do something

specifically to
keep Nick inside,

baked into this production.

And our master baker
here, Jessie Nelson,

had a beautiful idea
for how to do that.

- We got the idea to
name a pie for Nick,

and we're gonna show it to you,

but it's a big old slice
of 'Live Your Life' pie.

- That's amazing.

- That will be in every
production, in every country,

in every state, forever.

- [Director] Across the
tour, all over America.

- Oh my gosh, that's
so awesome you guys.

He would just, you know,

he would be thrilled,
you guys know Nick.

He would just be like, what?

[cast laughing]

Thank you so much.

Congratulations.

[emotional music]

- Oh, fabulous, this
is super - how are ya?

We just have to do a
quick piece right here.

Here we are in the
world of "Wicked".

This is very exciting.

I'm Richard Ridge
for Broadway World.

As Broadway gets
ready to open up,

I'm in the heart of
Times Square to bring you

a sneak peek at the brand new

interactive exhibition
called Show Stoppers.

Look at the fabrics on this.

I bet Harry Potter's over here.

Really sensational.

Oh, this is Tricorn.

This is fabulous, this is great.

I'm like hyperventilating.

- Because I had the background
in off-Broadway theater,

I knew that we
could put on a show.

We did something in
three and a half months

that they normally
do in two years.

- This is what you do.

- This is what we do,
we roll up our sleeves.

That's what we do.

We roll our sleeves
and make things happen.

- Well, you made
magic happen here.

This is really
spectacular, beyond.

- The very big moment for
the city's reopening as

the first new play in
over a year finally
raises its curtains.

But the concerns over
the Delta variant

are still in everyone's minds.

- Right now, there is concern

about the growing
number of Covid's

Delta variant here in the city.

Delta spreads as
easily as chickenpox,

in that it's being spread
by vaccinated people

as much as unvaccinated people.

- I wanna run the
scenarios for if

there are positive cases
on our next upcoming show.

I'm a little concerned we
have not enough understudies.

This is our PCR negative.

You've got a green
light to come in.

Rapid antigen negative.

Rapid antigen positive.

Exposed, we call this
getting yellow carded,

which is a language, once we,

when we do this with the cast,

when we say like, you know,

sorry, you got a yellow card.

They know that that
means like caution.

Yeah.

And then PCR positive.

- Everyone loves what we do.

They have taken
every precaution.

They don't go to indoor
to restaurants anymore.

They don't visit any
unvaccinated friends, family.

They are investing
in having a job.

- [Pamela] The most important
thing that we've learned

about coming back after Covid

is that science
can lead the way.

- When we see the
community burden increase,

we respond by increasing
the frequency of PCR tests.

It's been incredibly
encouraging to watch the cast,

and the crew, and
creatives work together,

and test regularly,
and wear masks.

And I'm just so
proud to see them go

from rehearsal to
opening night safely.

[emotional music]

- Today is September 14th,
zero days till opening.

I just woke up.

I was up really
early with the baby,

but I went back to sleep
for a little while because,

God bless my husband, he let
me get a few extra hours in.

Good morning baby!
Good morning, Cooper!

There it is!

It's good to see you, isn't it?

A gal who previously
played Elphaba,

her name is Hannah Corneau,

she gave me this necklace
that says Coop on it.

So I feel like I get to take
him with me to Manhattan,

which is really sweet.

Be a good boy, I love you.

- This is a New York train.

Orange at the next stop, Orange.

- It's gonna be
something to navigate.

I think it's gonna
take every ounce

of my mental strength
to sort of center myself

and shut out everything
else that's going on,

and think about the story
that we get to tell.

- And this will be my first time

wearing an actual white
shirt in a long time.

We'll see, you know,

and even right now,

there's still another
variant of Covid around.

But you know, I'm
gonna wear my mask,

and the way I feel
in my spirit is,

you know, something
that needs to be done.

Like, somebody's
got to do something.

And even if that's
my little part

to add back into the community,

to give a positive token
or a positive offer,

then I guess this is it.

My white shirt and
my plain black pants.

And I'm guessing a smile
will go with it too.

Hello folks, good morning.

I'm so sorry to, hello?

Hello?

I'm actually going back to work
to usher on Broadway today.

I haven't been, ooh,

I haven't been back
to work since I left.

You know, when I caught
Covid and I had to be,

ooh, I had to be
admitted to the hospital,

and this will be my
first shift back, period.

And if y'all could just
pray for me and lift me,

'cause you know I can't
do it without prayer.

- [Priest] Father God,
in the name of Jesus,

we thank you for your
goodness and your mercy.

We thank you for watching
over him right now,

for covering him.

We thank you for covering
him with the blood of Jesus,

from the top of his head
to the sole of his feet.

We ask that wherever
his feet shall tread,

that you bless him.

Whatever his hand touch,
may they be blessed as well.

- [Peter] Thank you so
much for that, thank you.

- [Priest] God did not give
you the spirit of fear,

but he gave you power,
he gave you love,

and he gave you a sound mind.

May the blessings of
God overtake you today.

In Jesus' mighty name.

- What you growling for, huh?

Huh?

Give me kiss, give me kiss.

You're not gonna
gimme a kiss now?

Okay.

I don't think I'm
mentally prepared

for everybody asking
questions as to what happened.

I never was like, you know,

nervous going to work before.

Not like I don't know everybody.

- [Ernie] Now if I have to break

my foot off into
somebody's ass--

- I can actually take off my
foot and leave it in there.

[giggles quickly]

Sweep your hair over everything.

You gonna miss me?

I'm gonna miss you.

- What you huffing for?

Like where you going so early?

I know!

I know, honey,
I know.

[dog barking]

Okay baby, okay.

[dog barking]

- $11 a stem.

- Wait, $11 a stem?

- Work!

Well, I kept thinking that
it's gonna be like petals,

like her dress, right?

Like these, and these,

and those, and the lillies,

and then delphiniums
coming up around,

and then like, I don't know.

Just like...

- Are you thinking like somewhat
circular, like her enclosure?

- Yes.
[laughs quietly]

When Broadway
started to make all

the announcements that
they were coming back,

it was, I don't know.

It was triggering for me.

I just had like a
really good cry,

just 'cause I was like,
I don't know if I'm,

am I still a part of
this world, am I -

I miss the world so much.

You know, I miss
the dressing room,

and the people that
work in the Broadway

community are just
so insanely special.

I mean, I definitely want the--

- What happens if it went?

- Wow, yeah.

That's really a moment, yeah.

- To Ginna Claire.

- Okay, yes.

And the card says,

'It's good to see
you, isn't it?'

- Cute.

[upbeat music]

Many, many different.

All heading out.

- [Worker] Very graceful
takeout. Yeah. We'll do this.

- [Al] Last night we
picked up two shows.

We picked up "Hamilton" and
we picked up "Hadestown".

Shows are starting to open.

Shows that are not opening
yet are starting to clean.

- Hey Al, Kevin,

I just wanted to thank you for

your lovely email and your text.

Can't wait to see you.

And as you know, it's
our first preview,

so thank you for thinking of me,

and we'll talk soon and often.

All right.

Thanks buddy, bye.

Big fan.

I was born and raised in Hawaii,

so I am a huge fan of Sushi,

and tonight I'm splurging
because it's the first preview,

and this is all very technical,

and the the key is not to get

soy sauce on your
preview outfit.

Hmm, right.

- Being away from your home
for over a year and a half.

You would want to go home,

you would want to go back home,

and I want to go back home,

and I want to be with my
Broadway family again.

[cast cheering]

- [Cast Member 1]
Love you so much.

- [Cast Member In Hoodie]
Uncle Ernie, what's good?

So good to see you.

- [Ernie] I had to show up today

'cause I missed the
hell out of you guys.

It's been a long, long layoff,

and I'm just very
fortunate that,

I'm fortunate that I'm
able to come back to work,

to be with you guys.

It was a very scary
time for me and my wife.

Just a very scary time, man.

Forgive me for being
emotional about it.

- [Cast Member 1] We love
emotions! We love you! All
we have are our emotions!

[cast muttering]

- Yeah, it's just
one of the things

that really kept me going was

the outpouring of love from
the Broadway community.

I'm here!

[cast cheering]

- [Cast Member 1] And
we're here for you.

Yeah, we're still here for you.

- [Ernie] I'm amongst friends,

and I just want you guys to know

that I love you from
the bottom of my heart.

I really do. We love you!

It's all your time, but I'll
take a hug from all you guys.

- Tonight, "Hadestown"
is reopening on Broadway.

This is the first time I'll
be attending one of my shows

without my husband
Terrence McNally.

Needless to say, it's surreal,

and a really mixed,
emotional day for me.

Thank you, Terrence
would love these.

They're just really beautiful.

- Take care!

- Thank you!

Unfortunately, because
of the storm last night,

the florist didn't
have white tulips,

but I had them
make an arrangement

of just gorgeous white flowers
to fill the apartment up,

and bring him close to me.

I'm wearing the
shirt that I wore

to the opening on Broadway.

The good news is it still fits.

So even though I've put
on weight during Covid,

it's less awful than I thought.

But the big decision
now is shoes.

These are the tough decisions

a producer has to
make on a reopening.

I think I'm gonna go with these.

I'm going with the new shoes.

Yeah.

You know, the shirt
is the nod to history.

The shoes will be the
nod to the future.

[hopeful music]

- [Adam] As far as
going back to Broadway,

I mean, there might be a
couple more shows in me,

or I might be done.

I just will forever
be a creative.

I've just realized that,

like I just have to be
creative in whatever I do.

- I got my garden fresh
items and my Binax Now.

This would be a good time to do

a little light reading actually.

Negative!

[loud humming]

- [Ginna] Glinda macaroons!

Oh my gosh! Wow.
Can I get a box?

Oh my gosh, this is stunning.

- Opening up.

Belly of the Beast.

Costume.

Happy opening!

Happy opening!

Happy opening, everybody!

Let's do this.

- As we prepare to reopen,

we're experiencing a rebirth,

and it's like spring.

There's an awakening
that's happening,

and it's just beautiful.

It's so much about how we
can treat each other better.

Have a good night, sir.

Appreciate it.

Everybody across the globe,
we've all been through so much.

I went through a
specific form of trauma

at the beginning
of the quarantine.

You're such a rock star.

But, you know,

there are nearly 200 people
who work on a production.

Each individual has a
story of redemption,

and hope, and anxiety.

Hello, picking up for Kirdahy.

- [Shirley] You
have four tickets?

- That's me.

And I genuinely believe that
we are part of an art form

and part of an industry
that is not going anywhere.

- Stage Manager's here,

they're waiting for
us to get off stage

so they can actually open
the house at seven o'clock,

an hour before the show because
now we have Covid protocols.

- [Tom] Thank you, how
are you guys holding up?

- [Shirley] Good, so
excited to be back.

- [Tom] Thank you.

Shirley, thanks for everything.

See you tonight!

- T-shirt!

To commemorate this day.

September 2nd, 2021.

Broadway reopening.

- Yay, it's opening!

- [Six Boss] What's so
emotional about "Six"

is that it didn't become
the last show to open.

It became the show that
wasn't allowed to open.

We were the show
that was ready to go.

To then finally be
allowed to open,

that's the definition
of emotion for me.

- We have to tell stories
in order to survive.

The most important
part of the story

is the resilience
of the human spirit.

Everything spills out from that.

- Yes. It was a good night.

[audience cheering]

- Broadway is back!

[cast cheering]

♪ Start spreading the news

♪ I'm leaving today

♪ I wanna be a part of it

♪ New York, New York

♪ These vagabond shoes

♪ Are longing to stray

♪ Right to the
very heart of it ♪

♪ New York, New York

♪ I wanna wake up in a
city that never sleeps ♪

♪ And find I'm
king of the world♪

♪ Top of the list

♪ I'm the king of the hill

- It's good to see me, isn't it?

[crowd screaming]

[audience cheering]

♪ If I can make it there

♪ I'll make it anywhere

♪ It's up to you

♪ New York, New York

[emotional music]

- Hey folks, let me pull my
mask down so you can see me.

Can you see?

- Okay, so update.

I have a new record coming out

and I'm going on
tour this summer,

supporting my own music.

- I'm currently in London
pursuing floral design.

As far as Broadway goes,

my body is just telling
me that I need to move on,

and I have to listen to it.

- Hi, I finished my run
as Glinda in "Wicked."

End of January 2020 I got
to go film a Hallmark movie,

which was a lot of fun,

and now I'm home.

I'm auditioning,
loving being a mom.

Cooper just turned one!

Can you say one?

Yeah!

- If you're looking for
Broadway's best stage doorman,

check me out at the Broadhurst.

I'll probably be there.

- So we started back
to work in September.

We've been quite busy.

Big shows, little shows,

new shows and old shows.

Can't be more proud of my team,

and how lucky I am to
have them all in the room.

- Being creative as a floral
designer is very fulfilling,

and I'm enjoying it a lot,
so I'm at peace with it.

- Both "Six" and "Mrs Doubtfire"
reopened as scheduled,

however I had to
close "Mrs Doubtfire"

on January 9th because of Covid,

and I reopened it April 14th.

Still here in "Hadestown"
at the Walter Kerr,

but I no longer play a Fate,

I've now become the
full time Persephone.

- [Manager] Five
minute call, everyone.

Five minutes please until the
top of the show, five minutes.

- Five minutes until call.

- Family's great.

- Great, wrap it up.

- So I managed to put up
four shows in eight months,

and installation
play on Broadway,

a musical on Broadway,
and an opera,

and I did it all Covid-free.

And it's the end of
the theater season,

and I'm really looking
forward to the summer.

- I'm still working on Broadway,

getting lots of calls for
new musicals coming in.

- "Hadestown" is
currently playing

to sold out audiences
on Broadway.

"Little Shop Of
Horrors" is currently

playing to sold out
audiences off Broadway.

- I actually got to walk my

first red carpet
as Patient Zero,

so that's cool.

I took a leap of faith.

I said get ready 22, 2022.

Watch my ass just stay away
from the negativity, period.

[laughs loudly]

And look out for me.

Look out for Peter McIntosh,

boom, in lights.

- I'm excited about the future,

and thrilled about all the
possibilities for Broadway.

- Theater's been hard.

We're a resilient
industry where people

have to show up to make it work,

and people have shown
up, including audiences.

Although not quite as many as
we typically get right now.

Hopefully the summer
will be different

and Broadway will
continue to rise.

[triumphant music]