Tony Awards postponed due to coronavirus pandemic
With theaters on the Great White Way shuttered in New York City, it's not a surprise to learn that Broadway's annual gala, the Tony Awards, is also being affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing announced Wednesday that the 74th Annual Tony Awards are being postponed.
The Tonys are just the latest major entertainment event to move in the wake of the pandemic.
The telecast, which was scheduled to air live on CBS on Sunday, June 7 from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, will now be rescheduled for a later date, according to the statement.
"The health and safety of the Broadway community, artists and fans is of the utmost importance to us," the organizations said, adding new dates and information will be announced, "once Broadway opens again."
The statement concluded, "We are looking forward to celebrating Broadway and our industry when it is safe to do so."
There are currently more than 62,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, with nearly half in New York state.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that of the more than 30,800 people in the state who have been diagnosed with coronavirus, 12% are in the hospital and 3% are in the intensive care unit. At least 285 New Yorkers have died from the disease, he added.
"We have not turned the trajectory, nor have we hit the apex," he warned.
