‘Hamilton’ performances in Miami scrapped as Miami-Dade closes Arsht, other theaters

The Arsht Center closed Friday and canceled this weekend’s “Hamilton” shows as part of a broader shutdown of county theaters by Miami-Dade. The move comes a day after the popular musical played in a 2,400-seat theater during a state of emergency called by the county mayor for the coronavirus pandemic. Arsht said Friday it was clearing its calendar of all events through April 5.

Miami-Dade owns the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, but allowed it to remain open under Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s emergency declaration issued Thursday morning shutting down much larger venues, including the Youth Fair and the Homestead Speedway. The Arsht, run by a nonprofit that receives millions of dollars in county funds, went ahead with its “Hamilton” show Thursday night.

It also announced it was not honoring refund requests from ticket holders who didn’t want to sit in a crowded theater at a time when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was urging state residents to practice social distancing and to avoid large groups.

On Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory for Florida calling on community groups to cancel events expected to attract more than 250 people. The main Arsht theater has about 2,400 seats. Gimenez has not added a restriction on gatherings of about 250 people to his emergency declaration. After concerns he was exposed to a Brazilian official with COVID-19 this week, Gimenez has been self-isolating at his home since Thursday afternoon and leading the county’s response to coronavirus by telephone and computer.

The county’s brief announcement on closing the Arsht said two other county-owned theaters — South Dade cultural center and the Miami-Dade auditorium in Miami — would also close. In an email Friday afternoon, the Arsht said holders of tickets to canceled shows can receive refunds, exchange tickets for future shows or turn them in for credit to future purchases.

Broward County also announced Friday that the Parker Playhouse and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts were both closing. The county said refunds would be issued for shows, including the popular “Mean Girls” run at the Broward Center.

This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 1:28 PM.