The Croswell Opera House has announced several changes to its summer and fall schedule due to the ongoing Coronavirus situation. Three previously scheduled shows are being canceled or postponed, and a number of outdoor and online events are taking their place.
The musicals “Holiday Inn,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Cabaret,” which had been scheduled for August, September and October, are coming off of the schedule.
Instead, the Croswell is planning a variety of outdoor and online events, including:
- “Every Brilliant Thing,” a one-woman play that was originally scheduled for April. This play will be performed in late July in the Farmers Market Pavilion on Toledo Street.
- An outdoor concert series in the courtyard behind Adrian City Hall and the Adrian District Library.
- An online magic show with Stuart MacDonald.
- An outdoor fall concert with opera singer Leah Crocetto.
All of these events will comply with state and federal guidelines for crowd size and social distancing.
“Even though it’s disappointing to take shows off of our schedule, we’re excited about the things we’re planning instead,” said Jere Righter, the Croswell’s artistic director. “We’ve been getting creative and stretching our brains and coming up with new ways to do things, and I think people will enjoy what’s coming up.”
Even though Michigan’s Coronavirus numbers have improved, Righter said, the Croswell does not feel it would be responsible to plan full-scale musicals inside the theater at this point.
“Michigan has gotten this situation under control better than almost any other state, and we feel good about that,” Righter said. “But we’re not at the next phase of reopening yet, and what’s happening right now in states like Texas and Florida also gives us cause for concern.”
Theaters in southern Michigan still cannot be open, and theaters in northern Michigan are operating at 25 percent of their capacities.
An additional complication is that most Croswell shows rehearse for six to eight weeks, and auditions need to take place about three months before opening night.
“The health of our volunteer performers is our top priority, and we aren’t to a point where we feel we can rehearse safely,” Righter said.
Even if the situation improves by fall, Righter said, the Croswell’s production schedule requires making choices well in advance of planned show dates.
“With so much uncertainty, we can’t afford to start working on these shows knowing there is a strong chance they would get canceled later on,” she said. “Every show is a major investment in both time and money, so we need to make these decisions early.”
The theater is still hoping to present the classic country act Branson on the Road in early November, the musical “A Christmas Story” starting Thanksgiving weekend, and Under the Streetlamp’s “Hip to the Holidays” concert a few days before Christmas.
The Croswell also announced this week that all gift certificates and house credits with a 2020 expiration date will be extended through the end of 2021.People with tickets to “Holiday Inn,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Cabaret” will be contacted by email about their options. Anyone with questions can email tickets@croswell.org or call 517-264-7469 and leave a voicemail.
Mostly Musical Theatre 
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