‘The Notebook,’ ‘Moulin Rouge’ get new start dates in Chicago due to COVID surge

The COVID-19 surge is forcing local theaters to postpone openings.

Natalie Mendoza stars as Satine and Aaron Tveit stars as Christian in the Broadway production of “Moulin Rouge.” The first North American tour of the 10-time Tony Award-winning musical kicks off in Chicago in March.

Natalie Mendoza stars as Satine and Aaron Tveit stars as Christian in the Broadway production of “Moulin Rouge.” The first North American tour of the 10-time Tony Award-winning musical kicks off in Chicago in March.

Matthew Murphy

The COVID surge continues to wreak havoc with Chicago’s live theater season schedules.

On Wednesday, Chicago Shakespeare Theater announced the postponement of the world premiere of “The Notebook.” Originally slated for a March debut at the Navy Pier theater, the musical, based on the bestselling novel of the same name, will now run Sept. 6-Oct. 16 at The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Current ticketholders are being contacted for rescheduling options.

The show features music and lyrics by singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson with a book by playwright Bekah Brunstetter.

Single tickets ($45–$125) are currently on sale www.chicagoshakes.com/notebook.

On Thursday, Broadway in Chicago announced it is pushing back the date for the North American tour launch of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” to March 19; the show will run through May 14 at the James. M. Nederlander Theatre.

It’s not the first time the tour’s launch has been rescheduled due to COVID concerns. The production was originally set to bow in 2020 at the Nederlander Theatre, but was then pushed to Feb. 26, 2022 due to the onset of the pandemic.

In a statement, the showrunners said: “The change in engagement dates have allowed the producers to make the pro-active decision to slightly delay the start of the rehearsal and production period due to the fast-moving Omicron variant.”

All persons with tickets for shows Feb. 26-March 18 are being notified via email of rescheduling options. Individual tickets, starting at $52.50, are now on sale www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

On Wednesday, the Goodman Theatre announced the indefinite postponement of the world premiere stage musical adaptation of “The Outsiders.”

Porchlight Music Theater on Thursday announced the postponement of “Blues in the Night,” now slated to run Feb. 9-March 13, due to the COVID surge. In addition, the theater company is postponing Paul Oakley Stovall’s stage reading of “Clear” and the Porchlight Revisits presentation of “Passing Strange.” No new dates for the latter two productions have been announced.

The Latest
Here’s how Kamala Harris and the Democratic National Convention are embracing Charli XCX’s social media post that sparked a cultural movement.
Thousands gathered in Union Park for the Pitchfork Music Festival, the Chicago Bears started training camp at Halas Hall, and Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off her presidential campaign.
Williams got in defensive end DeMarcus Walker’s face as he went after tight end Gerald Everett on Friday.
Bielema still needs to prove the Illini can win in a conference that just got even better with Oregon, USC, Washington and UCLA on board and has done away with divisions, the days of a weaker West now over.
Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TNT Sports, is seeking a judgment that it matched Amazon Prime Video’s offer and an order seeking to delay the new media rights deal from taking effect beginning with the 2025-26 season.