The producers of Waitress the Musical on Broadway have announced that they are heartbroken to announce the re-staging of Waitress the Musical will be closing with immediate effect.

With only two weeks of performances remaining, and despite all safety precautions in place, there have been further positive cases of COVID-19 detected in the company and crew at the Barrymore Theatre, so the decision has been made to curtail the engagement which was scheduled to run through to 9 January 2022.

They added: “This is not how we wanted to finish our run but are so grateful to every fan and theatre-lover who visited the Diner these past few months. Ticket holders will be contacted and refunded by their point of purchase. Thanks for taking us to the moon!”

The show had previously cancelled performances this week on 21,, 22 and 23 December, due to COVID-19 cases, and was due to resume on Saturday 25 December at 8pm. This means the show played its final performance on Broadway on 20 December 2021.

The rapid spread of the Omicron variant has caused multiple cancellations, with many shows due to resume after Christmas, including Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations, The Lion King, Aladdin, Hamilton, American Utopia, Dear Evan Hansen, Hadestown, MJ – The Musical, Moulin Rouge, Six, Tina, and Come From Away. Jagged Little Pill has also closed permanently, as a result of the uncertainty caused by rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Sara Bareilles said in a statement: “Our company will not get to take the stage for one last time knowing they are saying goodbye. That is tough. Other shows are going through this as well, and my heart breaks for this because it’s a ritual that helps us ease the pain of losing something we love. They offer their selves, their souls, their tears, their time, their joy… and they deserve to let go on purpose.

“I’m so sorry we are saying goodbye in this way but I am SO proud. Of this company. This crew. This band. This creative team. This community of audience members. I am so grateful. I am honored to call these wonderful artists my friends, and I’m changed by those who have loved the show for the messy, kind, imperfectly perfect place it was.

“Everything changes, so here we go. Take your bows, my loves. Every last one of you. I am cheering and crying in equal measure. The best kind of goodbye.”