Bushnell eyes fall return for postponed Broadway series
The Bushnell hopes to reopen this fall, announcing new dates for eight of its Broadway series — from “Escape to Margaritaville” to “Hamilton” — that were pushed from the 2020-21 season by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Bushnell’s President/CEO David Fay has said on numerous occasions that Broadway tours can not be return until theaters can operate at 100% capacity. Thetours are expensive to operate, and must follow not just the COVID regulations of the various states they visit but also the (often tougher) regulations set by various theatrical unions.
In addition to these delayed showsoriginally announced for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, The Bushnell will also soon beannouncing an entire 2021-22 season, making for the most crowded schedule The Bushnell has seen in years. The rescheduled dates are:
“EscapetoMargaritaville”: Parrotheads can rejoice Oct. 12 — 17.
“TheBand’sVisit”: Abig winner at the 2018 Tony Awards, the musical based on the beloved 2007 film about an Egyptian policemen’s band stranded in Israel will now run Nov. 16-21.
“What the Constitution Means to Me”: Heidi Schreck’s celebrated monologue about civics, performed by the playwright
herself on Broadway but now entrusted to other performers, plays Jan. 26-30, 2022.
“My Fair Lady”: The thoughtful Broadway revival of the Lerner/ Loewe classic based on George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion,” directed by erstwhile Hartford Stage associate artistic director and current Broadway sensation Bartlett Sher, is due March 8-13, 2022.
Blue Man Group: The singular music/rhythm/magic/comedy/ fantasy trio’s touring company overwhelms The Bushnell March 17-20, 2022.
“Dear Evan Hansen”: One of the biggest tours to be laid low by COVID last year, this 2017 Tony winner about teen suicide (and other things) now arrives at The Bushnell March 29-April 3, 2022.
“Pretty Woman — The Musical”: The new dates for this romantic musical based on the Richard Gere/Julia Robert romcom are April 26 to May 1, 2022.
“Hamilton”: The landmark political hip-hop monument’s second visit to The Bushnell will be June 22 through July 10, 2022. That’s a year and a half after its planned December 2020 return. “Hamilton” first came to Hartford in December 2018.
Two other shows, “Hadestown” and “Mean Girls” will be rescheduled as well, but the newdates have not yet been confirmed.
Twomore shows from the 202021 slate, “The Cher Show” and a three-week engagement of the hit “Wicked,” are no longer on the Bushnell schedule. Those cancellations were made last year. In the case of “The Cher Show,” the show’s entire tour was canceled.
“Escape to Margaritaville,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “The Band’s Visit” and Blue Man Group were originally part of The Bushnell’s 2019-20 season and were early casualties of the COVID shutdown. “My Fair Lady,” “What the Constitution Means to Me,” “Pretty Woman” and “Hamilton,” as well as the yet-to-be-rescheduled “Hadestown” and “Mean Girls” were originally part of the 202021 season, which was postponed in its entirety.
All the new dates are subject to change. Some of these shows have already been rescheduled several times. The Bushnell’s announcement is in keeping with the optimism of theaters around the country that live performances can resume sometime this fall.
Tickets (including season subscription packages) and other details of The Bushnell schedule can be found at bushnell.org/ bushnellbroadway.