JOIN
OUR EMAIL LIST!
SIGN UP

The NYC Blackout Forced Broadway Shows To Cancel—So The Performers Took It To The Streets Instead

@NewYorkManner/Twitter, @misskimizzo//Twitter, @NineDaves/Twitter, @lemonfuzz/Twitter

On Saturday, a good portion of Manhattan experienced a blackout at 6:47 p.m., with affected areas including "West 72nd Street on the north, West 30th Street on the south, the Hudson River on the west and 5th Avenue on the east," according to Con Edison.

Power was restored by midnight and Con Ed is still investing the cause of a transformer explosion that scared many tourists and New Yorkers.

Commuters were stuck underground in the darkness on subways and drivers above ground were left to their own devices with blinking traffic lights and scrambling pedestrians.

And although the lights were out in Times Square, with most shows being forced to cancel performances, Broadway did not exactly go dark.

Cast members from shows such as Waitress and Hadestown took to the streets and entertained ticket holders who were waiting for announcements on the status of the evening's performances.

The Best Musical winner of 2019, Hadestown, regrettably canceled the show and made their announcement on Twitter.

However, Tony winner André De Shields performed an impromptu performance with cast in tow outside the theater and riffed on the blackout by changing the lyrics to the show's opening number, "Road to Hell."

Hadestown cast member and Broadway Serves co-founder, Kimberly Marable, chronicled the rousing performance.

Leave it to New Yorkers to turn a momentary crisis into a positive and memorable experience.



Come From Away, which won the Tony for Best Musical in 2017, embraced the situation and also performed for patrons outside the stage door.

The show's star Chad Kimball led the cast singing "Welcome to the Rock."




The cast of Waitress served up a slice of joy with their acoustic set that included a rendition of "Lean on Me."








According to Playbill, the following shows were able to resume with their scheduled performances:

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Beetlejuice
Be More Chill
Broadway Bounty Hunter (Off-Broadway)
Burn This
Fiddler on the Roof (Off-Broadway)

But a vast majority of shows, including Tony winner Hamilton, were not as fortunate.


The cast from Ain't Too Proud sang out from the windows of their respective dressing rooms from inside the Imperial Theater.

One enthusiastic Twitter user captured the performance and misidentified the cast with that of Hamilton, who resides next door at the Richard Rogers Theater.


The largest crowd assembled outside Carnegie Hall, where the Millennial Choirs and Orchestra gave a performance after their canceled concert.





There were no deaths or injuries reported during the blackout that affected over 73,000 homes and businesses.

John McAvoy, chief executive of utility Con Edison said "it does not appear related to excessive load."

New York endured significant power outrages before, including one following Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and the Northeast blackout that lasted an entire day in 2003.

Ticket holders may have been inconvenienced for the time being with canceled shows, but they witnessed intimate and once-in-a-lifetime experiences with these impromptu performances.

New Yorkers know how to handle chaos in the city. And for that, they should take a bow.

new york

People Explain Which Small Things Immediately Make Them Dislike A Stranger

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

There's something seeing a person litter that drives me up the wall. I remember being a kid and being explicitly told to hold on to my trash and not just throw it in the street. As a kid, I distinctly remember being made fun of for not just throwing the bag of chips I'd just eaten or an empty soda bottle into the gutter.

I can't imagine doing that. Why?! We truly treat this planet as if we have somewhere else to go.

After Redditor pnrddt asked the online community, "What small action immediately makes you dislike a stranger?" people shared their observations.

Keep reading... Show less

Doctors Share The Weirdest Facts About The Human Body

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay

When you're in the market for a slew of very specific facts that all fall under the same general theme, the internet really delivers.

Forget streamlined public health capabilities and revolutionized human communication, the true beauty of the internet is all the random, barely useful information you can find when a bunch odd people decide to assemble and swap info.

Keep reading... Show less
human body

Doctors Describe The Dumbest Injuries They've Ever Seen

Image by Alterio Felines from Pixabay

Working in a doctor's office means helping people when they're at their lowest. Sometimes, that leads to wonderful moments when the patient is thankful for all the advice and care you provided. Other times, it means taking something out of someone's bum.

Turns out, that second one happens a lot more than you might think.

Keep reading... Show less

People Break Down Subtle Red Flags That A Movie May Not Be Worth Watching

Image by Sammy-Williams from Pixabay

I love movies. The cinema has long been a savior of mine and has given me some of my greatest inspirations. But being an avid film watcher has also made me quite the critic. I can always tell when a movie is worth the money to see in theaters or wait until it's on basic cable with commercials. The signs of mediocrity abound, and sometimes they aren't that difficult to spot.

Redditor u/fjv08kl wanted to know what is obvious about mediocre cinema by asking.... What are some subtle 'red flags' that tell you a movie is not worth watching?
Keep reading... Show less
movies