We asked the leads in dozens of shuttered shows to take a self-portrait wherever they are quarantining.
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(Above):Michael James Scott, the Genie inAladdin, home in Los Angeles.
I was singing a jazz version of Friend Like Me live with four ensemble ladies.
What do your days in quarantine look like?Lord, it feels like a weekend every day.
A lot of FaceTimes.
Im obsessed with the app Houseparty.
I go outside, and I sing Prince Ali, just to have a semblance of normalcy.
A reminder of,That was happening.
Are you with family?No, but just before the shutdown, I saw them.
Im grateful for the timing of things we wouldnt have had that time together otherwise.
When did you fly back to London?Friday the 13th.
Unlucky for some, I know.
We found out the show was canceled Thursday, March 12.
I could have flown that evening, but the flight was ridiculously cheap the next morning.
A flight to Heathrow for 72.
And I thought it was worth taking the 14 days first.
Has the cast stayed in touch?We had aHamiltonpowwow.
We get it a lot: the Tommy Kail motivational check-in speech.
What have you been doing to keep busy?Well, Im reviewingTake Me Outin my head.
Oh, and Im in the process of writing a cookbook, so Ive been testing recipes.
How are you faring?Weve experienced quite a few deaths already.
Just before this all went down, I was at the Atlantic Theater gala.
To wrap your head around that is very tough.
And to put the emergency brake on, the whiplash is felt.
Between the hours of five and seven, my body still goes into show mode.
I have a hard time eating without feeling like I need to eat small to do a show.
That can lead to small fits of sadness.
Im very luckily on the other side of having COVID-19.
Did you take your costume home?No.
We just left with everything sitting there.
The costumes, the wigs, the props its all just sitting there.
Have you been regularly getting dressed-dressed?Last week, one of my cast members had a birthday.
The DJ was Zoomed in, and it was amazing.
How are you feeling?Oh, well, funny-ish story.
Im recovering from pneumonia.
There are people in the cast who tested positive.
But we dont have anybody who has dealt with something really serious or critical.
Truly, thank God.
It does make me glad that we shut down.
It could have been so much worse.
We might be on the same trajectory.
Nothing can be the same again.
In terms of, you know, videos I watch to make myself uncomfortable.
Then my Boq, Riley Costello, and I drove across the country, to Orange County.
Well all have been on vocal rest for so long.
What have you been getting up to?Ive been getting into weird shit.
Then that Thursday we got this freakin text from my mom: Did you see this article?
Broadway is shutting down.
It felt apocalyptic because we were driving away from it all.
Its like we drove away right on the cusp of the city imploding.
How is it to be in your parents home?A lot more space, which is lovely.
Watching too much TV, eating too much, and not exercising enough.
It was a bit touchy for the first two days.
Now its a pleasure.
I dont think theres any point running around like a headless chicken.
Thank God were at home.
The show hadnt opened yet?No, we were entering our final week of rehearsals.
I was gutted a little catatonic for the first week.
Its really hard to practice acting without people.
Does the cast Zoom?There have been Zoom meetings, yes.
A few days ago, one of our dressers passed away from the coronavirus.
That meeting had a different, somber tone.
Everyone turned their lights off, and paid their respects.
