- Tracking the variant
Live updates: Omicron Variant in Chicago
Local theaters postpone productions as COVID-19 cases rise
By Katie O'Connell
Rising COVID-19 cases are taking a toll on local theater productions, with the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Goodman Theatre announcing changes to their lineups Wednesday.
Chicago Shakespeare postponed its world premiere of The Notebook. The musical had been slated to run in March, but will be performed Sept. 6 through Oct. 16 in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare instead.
Goodman has postponed The Outsiders, a musical adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s film. The Outsiders’ future date will be announced later.
In its place, Goodman will produce Life After, a new musical from lyricist Britta Johnson. Life After runs June 11 to July 17 in Goodman’s Albert Theatre.
And Lyric Opera postponed its production of Proving Up, which will be rescheduled for a future season.
In a statement Wednesday, Lyric’s general director, president and CEO Anthony Freud said the decision was based on “our current understanding of the ever-changing public health situation, with the goal of keeping the safety of our company, our audiences, and our artists as our overriding priority.”