Sara Bareilles “devastated” by Broadway’s COVID-19 shutdown, but hopes it’ll be a time of “important reflection”

Gabriel Olsen/WireImageSara Bareilles became a proud member of the Broadway community thanks to her hit 2015 musical Waitress, and she says it’s been tough to see theaters go dark during the COVID-19 pandemic.  And now, following news this week th…

By ABC Audio on July 1, 2020

Gabriel Olsen/WireImageSara Bareilles became a proud member of the Broadway community thanks to her hit 2015 musical Waitress, and she says it’s been tough to see theaters go dark during the COVID-19 pandemic.  And now, following news this week that the Great White Way will remain closed for the rest of the year, Sara says she’s “devastated.”

“My heart goes out to the theater community because I know that’s a really tough blow to a lot of people who have moved here to follow this dream and are just making ends meet,” she tells ABC Audio.

She adds that the bright side to all this could be that the shutdown might provide a much-needed time of reflection for the theater community, given the cultural shifts taking place in our country right now.

“I think that I have to trust that this pause is going to allow some really important reflection and maybe some reorganizing of the places inside the theater industry that need to adjust and compensate for the changes that are happening in front of us, you know, socially and culturally and just in our consciousness as people,” she says.

Sara, who’s currently gearing up for the July 10 premiere of her Apple TV+ show Little Voice, says she believes Broadway will come back bigger and better than ever.

“I think that people really need theater,” she says. “I miss it. I miss it so much. But I have to trust, too, that you know, we want to do what’s safe for the community. And I hope that this time gets used really wisely, sort of in terms of reflection and making change.”

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