Irene Update: Most of Broadway Still On; MARY POPPINS & LION KING Cancel Weekend Performances

It is the biggest storm the city will have braced in decades. Indeed, the last hurricane to hit the region was Floyd in 1999. But on Sunday, August 28, Hurricane Irene is predicted to hit the East Coast. Now declared a Category 2 hurricane further south in Virginia and the Carolinas, the storm is expected to weaken to a Category 1 by the time it hits the New York City area, with winds up to 90 mph. New York City is among the areas expected to experience the worst conditions on the norther east coast this weekend. Mayor Bloomberg has already ordered the evacuation of several hospital and nursing home facilities in the lower lying areas of the city downtown, however he has not yet called for a larger-scale evacuation.

As of Friday afternoon, most shows on Broadway are scheduled to play regularly this weekend, however the stormy conditions and shut down of mass transit citywide pose an undeniable challenge to ticket sales. As posted on the MTA website: "Because of the severity of the wind and rain associated with a hurricane, there may be partial or full shut down of our services to ensure the safety of our customers and employees."

UPDATE: It has just been announced that MARY POPPINS and THE LION KING have cancelled weekend shows. For any issues, please contact the Disney on Broadway Hotline at (866) 870-2717 and have your Ticketmaster Account Number/Confirmation Number handy. Original tickets need not be retained.

Off Broadway, cancellation of weekend performances have been announced for Primary Stage's Olive and the Bitter Herbs, Summer Shorts 5 and Captain Ferguson's School for Balloon Warfare, all running at 59E59 Theatres. Ticket holders can call Ticket Central on 212-279-4200 or email tickets@59e59.org for refunds or exchanges.

Broadway rarely shuts down for any reason, let alone weather, as the Big Apple is famous for (quite literally) never sleeping.  As Variety notes: "Main Stem shows almost never shut down due to weather, or for any reason whatsoever. The entire Street closed up shop for three perfs in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, and all shows were darkened for a night by the Northeast blackout in August 2003. Most productions also were shuttered for multiple performances during the labor strikes of 2003 and 2007."

However, do to the infrequency of hurricanes making their way up north, the Rialto is altogether devoid of standard hurricane protocol.

BroadwayWorld will continue to bring you updates throughout the day of any changes taking place on Broadway this weekend.  

CLICK HERE FOR THE REGULAR BROADWAY SCHEDULE TO SEE WHEN YOUR SHOW IS PLAYING

According to weather.com, the predicted weekend forecast for the tristate area New York is as follows:

"Rain and wind will begin to pick up in eastern Virginia late tonight and on Saturday and then up to MD, DE, and souther NJ Saturday. Hurricane conditions possible along the coast, with tropical storm conditions possible as far inland as I-95.

Hurricane conditions are likely on Saturday night for the Delmarva Peninsula, NJ and even extreme southeast PA Saturday night. Inland sections from Baltimore and DC to eastern PA can expect tropical storm conditions and heavy rain.

The New York metropolitan area will experience the worst conditions later Saturday night and Sunday with hurricane conditions possible along with destructive wind, heavy flooding rain, and storm surge with coastal flooding. Tropical storm conditions expected western NJ and the upstate of NY up the Hudson River Valley.

The storm is expected to weaken somewhat by the time it makes its way up through New England later on Sunday, though the National Weather Service has deemed potential severity in northern New England "extreme."

For more on the weather forecast, visit weather.com throughout the day.

BroadwayWorld will also regularly be providing the latest updates, so stay tuned and stay safe!

Northeast Storm Threat

Projected Strom Path