Last night, Nightline, the late-night series from ABC News (which is part of the Disney Television group), broadcast a segment about the return of Broadway shows in Australia, the first country to lift theater restrictions. The story focused on the reopening of the Disney Theatrical production of the musical Frozen, adapted from the animated Disney film. Series co-anchor Byron Pitts talked with Thomas Shumacher, president of Disney Theatrical Group, and Graeme Kearns, CEO of Foundation Theatres, which operates Sydney’s Capitol Theatre, the Australian home of Frozen.
Kerns said he’s been “astounded” by theatergoers’ ability to follow safety protocols that have kept Sydney’s theaters running at full capacity, and Schumacher suggested that Australia could be a model for Broadway’s reopening. The segment also featured interviews with Jemma Rix and Courtney Monsma, who play as Elsa and Anna in Frozen, and clips from the show as well as from Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Moulin Rouge.