"It's electric": Broadway reopens at full capacity with shows including "Hamilton"

Four big shows are returning to Broadway, and at full capacity. Audience members are required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

Throughout New York's theater district, you can literally see signs indicating that Broadway is coming back to life. It's a crucial return for New York, not just as an art form, but also as an economic engine.

By one estimate, Broadway contributes $14.7 billion to New York City's economy — outside of ticket sales — and supports 96,900 local jobs.

For people in New York City, the lights coming back on meant a lot, but it also meant something to people outside of New York.

After a year and a half in the dark, not only have Broadway's lights, performers and workers returned, but so have the audiences. One pair of friends came from Illinois and Colorado.

Marie Jarrell told CBS News that seeing a Broadway show again was "gonna make me cry."

The power of the moment isn't just being felt by audience members, but also by performers like Thayne Jasperson of "Hamilton," which reopens Tuesday night.

"It's electric. It's something totally different," he said. "It feels like we're on fire."

A sentiment echoed by Erika and Aaron Williams, a military couple who left their kids with grandparents in Florida to experience the reopening.

"So with Broadway opening back up and the city getting back to normal, that hope has been, once again, reestablished," Erika Williams said. "And I believe if we continue to keep that hope, I think we'll be okay."

In:
• COVID-19
• Broadway

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