Music Man Canceled After Hugh Jackman Gets COVID

The Broadway revival of The Music Man has been one of the hottest tickets in town and it has limped along without co-star Sutton Foster, who tested positive for COVID-19 during previews on Dec. 23. But now the show is being shuttered until the new year because Hugh Jackman has also tested positive for the coronavirus, the AP reports. Jackman took to social media Tuesday to announce that he had tested positive. He says that although his symptoms are mild with only a scratchy throat and a runny nose, he needs to quarantine. Some Broadway shows have closed for several days and some have folded completely because of virus cases. Thoughts of a Colored Man joined Waitress and Jagged Little Pill as shows that have closed this winter due in part to rising infection rates.

If all goes well, Music Man will resume preview shows Jan. 2, Us reports. Its official opening date is Feb. 10, CNN reports. Jackman had previously praised Kathy Voytko, the understudy who took over for Foster. "Kathy, when she turned up for work at 12 o’clock, could’ve played any of eight roles," he told the audience during curtain call Thursday. "She found out at 12 noon today, and at 1 o’clock, she had her very first rehearsal as Marian Paroo." He called for a round of applause for the understudies and swings in the cast, who "are the bedrock of Broadway." (More Hugh Jackman stories.)