The Metropolitan Opera will be closed until fall 2021 due to the continuing threat of COVID-19.
Previously, The Met's season was set to resume on December 31, 2020, but now says it has been advised by its health officials to wait until the fall, or a time at which “a vaccine is widely in use, herd immunity is established, and the wearing of masks and social distancing is no longer a medical requirement,” according to a press release.
Both the Met and Broadway theaters face similar obstacles in resuming operations however, the Broadway League said that it had no comment on whether this announcement will impact the industry’s reopening date. Lincoln Center Theater, which is is on the same campus as the Met, is not affected by the Met’s decision, a spokesperson confirmed Thursday. Broadway will remain closed through at least January 3.
The Met is planning to resume with a full slate of productions, beginning with Terence Blanchard’s “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” on Sept. 27, 2021. In order to accommodate a more “cautious” audience, the Met plans to move some its curtain times earlier and reduce running times on several operas.
Peter Gelb, general manager of the Met, noted that costs will have to be cut — a move that, when suggested on Broadway, has been met with opposition from the unions, “The inability to perform is taking a tremendous toll on our company,” Gelb said. “Our future relies on making strong artistic strides, while collectively reducing our costs until the audience has fully returned.”
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