It’s been a year since Broadway shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. And just as crucially, it’s been a year since many of us have been able to sing “Magic To Do†from Pippin in a group setting like the dorks that we are without risk of spreading mad droplets as we belt the chorus. There still is no reopening date set, but on Friday, March 12, a group of theatre performers — actors, singers, and dancers, big names and small — gathered in Times Square to commemorate the one year anniversary of the Broadway shutdown in a joyous pop-up performance called “We Will Be Back.†Chita Rivera and Joel Grey gave impassioned speeches. Drag queen Jackie Cox was there. Lillias White, Nikki M. James, Peppermint and Solea Pfeiffer gave a beautiful and life-giving performance of “Home†from The Wiz. The New York Times reported that “to make sure that crowds didn’t form in Father Duffy Square, the event planners made no public announcement of the performance,†but videos were still posted online for us to revel in. Best of all, Hadestown’s André de Shields led a performance of, you guessed it, “Magic To Do†from Pippin. Nature is healing. The theater kids are back.
Chita Rivera, André De Shields, Joel Grey, and More Did a Pop-Up Broadway Show on Friday
