Nathan Lane and Savion Glover star in first Broadway event since lockdown at St. James Theatre

The one-off performance was part of NY PopsUp.

With theatres now allowed to open to a socially distanced audience, the first Broadway performance in over a year has now taken place. Nathan Lane and Savion Glover took to St James Theatre's stage on 4 April, with the event hailed as a "pilot program" to assess the safety of future live performances.

Nathan Lane performed Paul Rudnicks's Playbills, a monologue which follows one man as he misses going to the theater. Dreaming of being in the audience, he eventually finds a seat on the aisle and is back "home". Savion Glover gave a special tap dance reflecting on the importance of Broadway and the performing arts.

St James Theatre now holds the title as the first Broadway theatre to reopen since the pandemic. Prior to the closure of Broadway theatres, St James Theatre was home to Frozen, which won't return after the pandemic. 

Launching earlier this year, NY PopsUp is a state-wide initiative including over 1000 live performances, encouraging people to reunite with the arts again. The Music Box Theatre will also reopen in April, as well as The Apollo, Park Avenue Armory, St. Ann's Warehouse, The SHED, Harlem Stage, La MaMa, National Black theatre and The Glimmerglass Festival's Alice Busch Opera Theater.

^{Photo credit: St. James Theatre (Photo by Nina Westervelt)}