UPDATED with cancellations: Broadway‘s The Book of Mormon has canceled this week’s Tuesday and Wednesday performances due to a fire that damaged the Eugene O’Neill Theatre on Monday morning.
In a statement, Mormon producers said, “Out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of the cast and company of The Book of Mormon and our audiences, performances for The Book of Mormon will be cancelled on Tuesday, May 5 and Wednesday, May 6.”
Additional cancellations are uncertain at this point.
“The show,” the statement continued, “will continue to work with theatre owners, ATG Entertainment, the FDNY, and other relevant parties to assess the damage resulting from a fire at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre this morning. Ticket holders will be notified by point of purchase for exchanges or refunds.”
No performances were scheduled for today — the long-running show is dark on Mondays — but it seemed likely from FDNY statements this morning that the schedule over the next few days at least would be impacted. Fire officials described the damage sustained by the building as “substantial.”
The Book of Mormon is typically one of Broadway’s best-grossing productions, with the most recent figures for the week ending April 26 showing a gross of $752,688 and attendance often at the 90% of capacity level. The Tony-winning musical comedy began previews at the O’Neill on February 24, 2011, opening March 24 that year.
The fire broke out sometime around 10 a.m. today and the venue on West 49th Street was quickly cleared of all employees and visitors.
According to the New York Fire Department, no cause has been determined, but the fire apparently broke out in an electrical room. The NYFD says one firefighter was injured, and that the building sustained substantial damage and will be out of service pending repairs.
A three-alarm fire signifies a “significant fire,” often involving large building and multiple floors, with a significant presence of fire apparatus and firefighters on the scene.
More than 60 FDNY units and nearly 200 first responders are reportedly at the scene.
The venue opened in 1925 and has been known previously as the Forrest Theatre and the Coronet Theatre. It was renamed for the Long Day’s Journey Into Night playwright in 1959, and has hosted such productions as The Odd Couple, M. Butterfly, The Full Monty and many others. Owned by ATG Entertainment, the interior of the 1,108-seat venue is a New York City designated landmark.
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