Chicago Tribune

Commentary: From Broadway to nation's theater districts, coronavirus attacks our human need to gather together

On Tuesday night, the Broadway cast of the new Bob Dylan musical "Girl From the North Country" turned out from the stage to face and embrace their audience. Their collective eyes alighted on a man in the front row of the Belasco Theatre, wearing a medical face mask.

The actors are seasoned professionals and their reaction was barely perceptible. Still, the moment was striking in how it undermined, if only for a second, the core relationship of live human entertainment: the desire of the audience to embrace the performers and the reciprocated love for the audience

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