'Book of Mormon' out of Eugene O'Neill Theatre indefinitely after fire

Broadway's "Book of Mormon" show won’t go on — for now.

All performances are canceled through at least Sunday, May 17, with an announcement to be made next week about when the show will go on, spokesman Jim Byk said.

The aftermath of a fire earlier this week at the history-rich Eugene O’Neill Theatre has led the city’s Buildings Department to issue a vacate order to indefinitely close the building, at 230 W. 49th St., department spokesman Andrew Rudansky told Newsday.

There is heavy fire damage to the spotlight room, as well as the roof, which has holes, Rudansky said. Rooms in a neighboring hotel, at 224 W. 49th St., were also damaged, and that building has a partial closure order, he said.

The closure orders will be in effect until "the owners make the necessary repairs to make the buildings safe for occupancy," Rudansky wrote by email.

The next available date to buy show tickets on its website is later this month: May 19 at 7 p.m.

Byk declined to say how many people the production employs, its cost and what awaits those employees during a shutdown.

The fire, deemed electrical in nature according to published reports, was reported just after 10 a.m. Monday.

The theater, which has housed "The Book of Mormon" since 2011, would be out of operation for "some time," FDNY Assistant Chief David Simms said Monday.

In a post that day on X, the FDNY said: "The building sustained substantial damage in the electrical room along with additional water damage."

Justin Henry, a spokesman for the Broadway League industry group, referred an inquiry to the theater.

Earlier this year, Newsday reported that Long Islanders came to see Broadway shows more in the most recent season than in any since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The Book of Mormon," a farcical musical comedy by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, has played over 5,600 performances and won nine Tonys.

Byk said Wednesday that ticket holders can get refunds from their point of purchase, although he did not respond when asked whether the box office is open for those who bought their tickets there.

The O’Neill first opened in 1925 as the Forrest Theatre, designed by Herbert J. Krapp. It was built as one of six theaters planned by the Shubert brothers, according to a Newsday story on Monday. The 1,108-seat venue, later known as the Coronet Theatre, was renamed for American playwright Eugene O’Neill in 1959, according to the official Times Square NYC website.

The theater, at one time owned by the Broadway playwright Neil Simon, underwent a restoration in 1994. It has previously hosted productions of "Sweeney Todd," a revival of Tennessee Williams’ "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," and the rock musical "Spring Awakening," among many others.

With AP

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.