By Zach Johnson
Take a bow!
On Thursday night, Broadway’s New Amsterdam Theatre reopened in grand fashion with Live at The New Am: A Benefit Concert for The Actors Fund. Performed by Disney on Broadway stars Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins), Michael James Scott (Aladdin), Kissy Simmons (The Lion King), and Josh Strickland (Tarzan) to a sold-out audience, the benefit concert marked the first live performance in the New Amsterdam Theatre since all of Broadway shut down in March 2020. Plus, it was the first Broadway performance to hire actors on an Equity contract, the union of Broadway performers, since the shutdown began.
Featuring beloved hit songs from Disney’s Broadway shows—including “Beauty and the Beast,” “Circle of Life,” “Let It Go,” and “A Whole New World”—the benefit concert will play three more performances*, on July 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET and on July 25 at 2 p.m. ET. Tickets ranging in price from $79.50 to $99.50 are available now through Ticketmaster.
And, to honor the dedication and the continued hard work of New York’s healthcare workers, Disney has provided 2,000 free tickets to the concert to healthcare workers from the Greater New York Hospital Association and their families to enjoy Live at The New Am.
As the health and safety of guests, cast, musicians, and crew remains a top priority, all guests entering the theatre for Live at the New Am will be required to provide proof of vaccination. Guests under the age of 12 must also be accompanied by a vaccinated adult.
Of course, you don’t need a ticket to enjoy a clip from Thursday’s performance:
If you’ve missed Disney on Broadway productions as much as we have, you’re in luck: Disney’s hit Broadway productions of The Lion King and Aladdin will reopen this fall! The Lion King will resume performances at the Minskoff Theatre on September 14, and Aladdin will resume performances at the New Amsterdam Theatre on September 28. Tickets for both productions are on sale now. For more information, please visit Disney on Broadway.
Since the shutdown began in March 2020, The Actors Fund has provided more than 16,450 entertainment professionals with grants totaling more than $22 million. That marks an amazing increase of more than 1,000% over its typical grant support before the pandemic.
*Assisted listening devices will be available for all performances. The matinee on Sunday, July 25, will feature live closed captioning, available via personal devices, as well as live ASL interpretation.
