Hurricane Irene and Broadway

[Pammylicious]

What is the protocol for Broadway Theaters closing during a hurricane? I have tickets for a show's Sunday Matinee. I know during snowstorm theater is open, but hurricans are much more dangerous and power outages are expected. Does the industry every close in doors in anticipation of a cat 4 storm? Thanks.

[AC126748]

"The show must go on." Seriously, unless it becomes a major state of emergency and performances are absolutely not possible, they will not cancel.

[Calvin]

If the storm takes its current track, I'd expect shows to be canceled Sunday for sure. Next week would depend on how widespread power outages/etc are.

[iluvtheatertrash]

The last time we were supposed to be majorly affected by a hurricane was 1985. And they only got 3 inches of the 10+ expected rainfall.

I'd be shocked if shows were cancelled on Sunday.

[AC126748]

NM

[Kad]

If Irene follows its current track, it would be a category 2 as it passes within 30 miles of NYC. If it moves closer, it may very well prompt theatres closing.

[jv92]

I highly doubt shows will be cancelled. I've always looked at storms this way: the more hype the less destructive, powerful, bad, etc. they are. News stations and newspapers have nothing better to do than scare us, so I don't listen to 'em.

Remember that horrible rain/wind storm we got about a year ago? Nobody expected that. Same with the Christmas blizzard last holiday season. But when the media cries "wolf" we all run scared. They're all ****ers. Sorry folks.

I may eat my words though. When that happens, I'll do it gladly.

Sorry for my rant.

[givesmevoice]

Same with the Christmas blizzard last holiday season.

I seem to remember that being predicted pretty accurately. We were being warned on Christmas Eve that a big storm was coming.


That being said, I tend to agree that the more hype a storm gets, the weaker it is. I have a feeling we'll get a bad thunderstorm (with some strong winds), but I don't think it'll be as bad as they're making it seem now.

[shrekster224]

I saw two shows on the Sunday in December last year during the crazy snowstorm. I was at American Idiot that night, and go figure, during one of the quiet moments a door leading directly outside from the orchestra flung open and some snow came in, but ushers were quick to go close it. Pretty weird.

Hopefully shows don't have to cancel, and the storms are not as bad as expected.

[Kad]

The reason for the hype in this case is actually well-founded, considering I'd wager the city is not well-prepared for a hurricane hit, and current tracks are indicating a landfall near or over NYC is possible- something that has not happened for 50 years. A category 2 or even a category 1 could be extremely disruptive to the NYC area, not only causing power outages but making commutes impossible.

That being said, hurricanes tracks are notoriously hard to pin down. They will often do their own thing, so it's just as possible the storm will miss us.

[Wishing Only Wounds]

I'm on the south shore of Long Island and people are flipping a sh*t out here; I live a block from the water, and I'm not phased at all.

My evacuation plan was to go and see a show if I had to, so that'll suck if they're cancelled.

[Eris0303]

I had considered coming up this weekend for CMIYC but have vetoted that because I don't want to get stranded. NJ Transit is going to go down - I'm sure of it. I remember having to get a hotel room in NYC the night of the Phils/Yanks World Series game that was rained out. The rain blew out the switches on the tracks and no one was going anywhere. And that was just a rainstorm.

[Wishing Only Wounds]

NJ Transit and MetroNorth are dreadful. Somehow the LIRR has operating in bad weather conditions down, fortunately.

[LizzieCurry]

LOL: "Good opportunity for BOM cancellations"

Truth!

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=2004563

[Pammylicious]

I think blizzards are different from hurricanes. Hurricanes are a lot more destructive. Look at Katrina, Frances, Ike. Houses blow away, major flooding, power outages. Not so during a blizzard.

Gov.Christie just was on tv, told everyone in NJ to leave coastal communities...Cuomo next. When this started as a tropical storm, I had a gut feeling it would end up here. I still think we going to get slammed bad.

[Wishing Only Wounds]

LOL just got a phone call from my city to prepare for an evacuation alert.

[dragonlp86]

I live in Louisiana where hurricanes are a regular thing. That being said, don't mess around with them. It might be 'just a storm', but hurricanes even at just a Category 2, isn't something to be taken lightly. Especially in areas that aren't accustomed to having them.

[iluvtheatertrash]

They have already said that by the time Sunday comes, the storm will do its worst to Montauk. Meaning we'll get a bad storm.

Paranoia doesn't look good on people. It's like horizontal stripes.

[Wishing Only Wounds]

I don't know which news station you're watching, but eastern long island isn't get hit that bad. Western Long Island, up through Manhattan is getting the eye.

[wdwfreak]

Well Katrina was a Category 3 when it hit the south, Irene is suppose to be a Category 2 when it hits. Time will tell

[Calvin]

It doesn't matter where the eye goes. This is a huge storm that will affect well beyond that area.

Hurricane Ike was a category 2 when it made landfall a few years ago, and it leveled Galveston and completely wiped out a few communities. Coastal folks really shouldn't take this lightly. It might veer east and be nothing, but be prepared and evacuate if told to do so.

[Broadwayboobs]

You'd think they would be a Broadway site that will inform us if shows will be canceled for Sunday performances.

[JoeKv99]

What day is it? Thursday right? It IS Thursday today? Sunday is one-two-three days off, right?

[Pammylicious]

Well they are telling us to prepare........

[Eris0303]

Like I said in the thread on the OT Board - respect the storm. If you prepare and nothing happens then you're no worse off. But if you're not prepared and something happens then there could be trouble.

I live about 15-20 minutes by car from the Delaware River so I'm not concerned about flooding. I do absolutely feel that we will lose power though.