Bad news for Mid-South fans of The Lion King — the show has been canceled.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE MIGHTY 990 – KWAM APP – LISTEN TO OUR RADIO STATION IN CRYSTAL-CLEAR HD.The Orpheum Theater in Memphis announced that the final four performances have been shut down after an untold number of vaccinated cast members came down with the China virus.
“We apologize for the disappointment and inconvenience this cancellation causes ticket holders, but we trust that audiences will agree that safety must be our primary concern,” the theater said in a statement.
Following is a statement from The Orpheum:
The remaining four performances of The Lion King at The Orpheum Theatre in Memphis are cancelled.Although negative PCR testing allowed us to move safely forward with this afternoon’s matinee performance, breakthrough COVID-19 cases have just been detected within the touring company and local crew at The Orpheum Theatre. The wellness and safety of our guests, cast, and crew are our top priority, therefore we feel the prudent decision is to cancel all remaining performances: tonight’s performance, Friday, November 26 at 7:30pm, Saturday, November 27 at 2pm and 8pm and Sunday, November 28 at 1pm.
Both Disney and The Orpheum Theatre will continue to provide support to the affected individuals as they recover. All tickets for these remaining performances will be automatically refunded through official Orpheum points of purchase – Ticketmaster and the Orpheum box office. An email with refund information has been sent to these ticket holders. For those who purchased through unofficial third party sellers, we advise you to contact them directly for refund information.
We apologize for the disappointment and inconvenience this cancellation causes ticket holders, but we trust that audiences will agree that safety must be our primary concern.Some theater-goers said the post-pandemic rules and regulations have made attending productions miserable.
“I went to Lion King on Sunday and the experience was horrible,” one attendee wrote on The Orpheum Theatre’s Facebook page. “I felt like I was being held in juvenile court with mask guards all around screaming at everyone to put their masks up. It was not a pleasant experience. They were literally screaming in the halls ‘if you don’t have a drink in your hand you better have your mask up.’ It was excessive and militant”
However, most fans wrote messages in support of the theatre and offered prayers for the fully-vaccinated cast members who came down with the virus in spite of getting the jab.
