‘Macbeth’ Plans to Restart Broadway Performances on Tuesday

A new production of “Macbeth” starring Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga resumed performances on Tuesday night, 11 days after it shut down because of positive coronavirus tests among company members.

The resumption comes as four Broadway shows, as well as several Off Broadway productions, that have canceled performances as coronavirus cases rise in New York City are all attempting to get back on their feet, in some cases after those who test positive recover, and in some cases even sooner by deploying understudies.

“Macbeth” got through just three preview performances before shutting down on April 1, citing a positive test in the company; the next day, it said Craig too had tested positive. But on Tuesday, “Macbeth” returned; the production suggested earlier in the day that both principals were healthy, posting on Twitter that “Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga return to their throne.”

Meanwhile, a revival of the Neil Simon comedy “Plaza Suite” starring the married couple Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick planned to resume performances Thursday, with Broderick performing opposite Parker’s standby, Erin Dilly, while Parker continues to isolate. (Both she and Broderick tested positive for the virus, and the show has been canceled since April 7.) The production said Wednesday that it expected Parker to rejoin the cast on Saturday.

A new musical called “A Strange Loop,” which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2020 after an Off Broadway production, hopes to begin performances Thursday, according to the production. The show had been scheduled to start previews April 6, but postponed the start of its run, citing positive virus tests in its company.

“Paradise Square,” a new musical that opened April 3 but then canceled performances starting April 7, citing virus cases, is now planning to resume April 19.

“Macbeth” and “A Strange Loop” face particular pressure because they have not yet officially opened, and must do so by April 28 to qualify for this year’s Tony Awards. But the cancellations are costly to all shows, which must continue to pay running costs without box office revenue and which are losing opportunities for Tony nominators and voters to attend.

Off Broadway, the new musical “Suffs,” about the American women’s suffrage movement, also resumed performances Tuesday, after canceling performances starting April 5 because of virus cases. The show’s author and lead performer, Shaina Taub, is still recuperating, so the central role of Alice Paul is being played by Taub’s standby, Holly Gould.

Both “Plaza Suite” and “Suffs,” which had been selling very strongly, have extended their limited runs to accommodate ticket holders affected by the cancellations.