“The Book of Mormon,” one of Broadway’s longest-running hits, is canceling performances through May 17 after a fire damaged the New York theater where the musical comedy has been running for 15 years.
An update about when performances might resume will come next week, the producers of “The Book of Mormon” and ATG Entertainment, the British company that owns the theater, said in a joint statement on Wednesday evening. They said that the damage had been limited to a lighting booth from which spotlights are operated.
The show hopes to celebrate its 15th anniversary next month with a “Magical Mormon Mystery Week” that would start June 9 and feature appearances at each show by the original cast members Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, Nikki M. James and Rory O’Malley. Also planned were cameos from the show’s writers — the “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, plus Robert Lopez — and other show alumni.
The electrical fire on Monday, at the century-old Eugene O’Neill Theater on West 49th Street, took place primarily in a lighting booth at the back of the house, but firefighters cut into the roof while seeking to contain the blaze. Photos from the scene show some smoke damage inside the theater, whose interior has been designated a landmark by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission.
David Maggiotto, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Buildings, said the agency’s inspectors had “observed heavy fire damage to the spotlight room and the building’s roof,” and had issued a full vacate order, which prohibits use of the building until its owner completes repair work. The agency also issued a partial vacate order affecting three rooms at an adjoining hotel that was also damaged by the fire.
The cause of the fire remains undetermined. The New York Fire Department said that its fire marshals were conducting an investigation, and that one firefighter who sustained minor injuries is now OK. No one from the production company or the theater landlord was injured.
“The Book of Mormon” had previously canceled its performances on Tuesday and Wednesday. If the show reopens after May 17, it will have missed two full weeks of performances. The show had recently been grossing about $750,000 a week, and was hoping to increase revenue this spring as tourism in the city picks up and attention to the show’s anniversary intensifies.
The musical is the 10th longest-running show in Broadway history, with 5,648 performance seen by six million people and grossing $885 million. It is also running in London and is on tour in North America and Australia.
Michael Paulson is the theater reporter for The Times.
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