The red-carpet premiere of Broadway’s The Music Man, starring Hugh Jackman, featured the strange sight of a marching band performing with masks even though they were outdoors.
Footage from Thursday’ premiere posted to the musical’s official Instagram account showed band members wearing masks with mouth holes so that they could play their instruments. Just a short distance away, maskless celebrities posed for photographers on the red carpet.
Stars who attended the premiere included Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively; Anne Hathaway; Cynthia Nixon; and Seth Meyers. Media billionaire, former New York mayor, and failed presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg also graced the red carpet.
While Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) recently allowed the state’s indoor mask mandates for businesses to expire, Broadway shows are still forcing audiences to mask-up for performances. The Broadway League has stated its indoor mask mandate for shows will remain in effect through at least April 30.
The Music Man, starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, faced a bumpy road to Broadway due to the pandemic. The revival production was supposed to open last year but got pushed to early 2022.
The show got sucked into the Scott Rudin controversy last year, following reports that the famed Hollywood and Broadway producer had engaged in a pattern of physical and verbal abuse to his employees. Rudin stepped down as a producer of the musical in June.
Other Music Man producers include media moguls Barry Diller and David Geffen.
The show took the unusual step of barring critics until the official opening night performance. Broadway shows typically allow critics to attend performances near the end of the preview period.
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