TORONTO – The lights go down on “Jesus Christ Superstar” this Christmas Eve.
A representative for Mirvish Productions says it canceled all remaining performances of the touring show at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theater after three backstage actors, crew and staff tested positive for COVID-19.
In total, 11 performances of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical were canceled through January 2, 2022.
The company says it will be impossible to reschedule the shows as the production is booked to play in Boston after their Toronto show.
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‘Come From Away’ suspends 4 shows after positive case of COVID on stage crew
Mirvish says it was “regrettable” that the decision had to be made, especially on Christmas Eve, as it affects thousands of viewers and hundreds of jobs.
It says that ticket holders will be contacted via email for full refunds, a ticket exchange, or a credit.
The announcement comes a day after Mirvish temporarily halted performances of “Come From Away” at the Royal Alexandra Theater following a positive COVID-19 test among the backstage crew.
Gander’s musical, NL, is scheduled to resume on December 28.
“Come From Away” reopened at the Royal Alexandra Theater last week when a new round of tighter capacity restrictions was introduced in Ontario that limited all live theaters and concert venues to 50 percent capacity.
Uncertainty about how COVID-19 may affect future shows prompted Mirvish to remove Tom Stoppard’s “Leopoldstadt” from the lineup in January at the Princess of Wales Theater.
Earlier this week, the Shaw Festival announced that it would be shutting down its production of “A Christmas Carol” after a company member tested positive for COVID-19.
© 2021 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca