Curtains Up! How Broadway Is Coming Back From Its Longest Shutdown.

Determined to reopen, crews are dusting off spotlights, dancers are relearning steps, and everyone is testing, testing, testing as theater seeks to rebound from the devastating pandemic.

Broadway is back. Or so it hopes. A year and a half after the coronavirus pandemic forced all 41 theaters to go dark, silencing a symbol of New York and throwing thousands out of work, some of the industry’s biggest and best known shows are resuming performances on Tuesday. Simba will reclaim the Pride Lands in the “The Lion King.” Elphaba and Glinda will return to Oz in “Wicked.” A young, scrappy and hungry immigrant will foment revolution in “Hamilton.” The long-running revival of “Chicago” will give ‘em the old razzle dazzle. Plus there’s one new production, the childhood reminiscence “Lackawanna Blues,” offering a reminder that Broadway still provides a home for plays, too.