Frozen frozen on Broadway

NEW YORK — The big budget musical Frozen will not reopen when Broadway theatres restart, making it the first established show to be felled by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Disney show opened in March 2018 and placed among the top five Broadway productions for both gross and attendance over both years it ran, often pulling in more than $1 million, and even $2 million a week.

Until now, only shows that were waiting to officially open have announced postponements or cancellations. Disney still has the long-running The Lion King and Aladdin on Broadway and five productions of Frozen worldwide.

Citing the “global pandemic,” Thomas Schumacher, president and producer of Disney Theatrical Productions, said Thursday that running three Disney shows on Broadway was “untenable.”

Canadian Caissie Levy, who originated the role of Elsa on Broadway, tweeted that the news was a “heartbreak,” adding: “We will always be a family. Sending love to all the devoted fans of our beautiful show.”

Disney Theatrical gets no corporate subsidy from the Walt Disney Company and its stage shows must be financially selfsustaining. The Frozen musical is based on the Oscar-winning Disney movie franchise, with music and lyrics by Kristen AndersonLopez and Robert Lopez.

Of the three Disney properties on Broadway, Frozen was technically the weakest at the box office but was financially still considered a huge success. The appearance of the film Frozen 2 in late 2019 actually boosted the show’s fortunes, with sales spikes recorded in the months following the film’s release.

Broadway performances were suspended on March 12 after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo imposed a ban on gatherings of 500 or more people. There were 31 productions running at the time, including eight new shows in previews and another eight shows in rehearsals preparing for the spring season.