GLACE BAY, N.S. — Despite their best efforts, it won’t be sounding a lot like Christmas at the Savoy Theatre in December.
After announcing earlier this month their first shows to return to the stage since last March, the theatre’s board of directors Tuesday night cancelled the upcoming in-house viewings of “Christmas with the Barra MacNeils” on Dec. 11-13 and “The Cape Breton Christmas Hour: A Two Hour Show” on Dec. 18-20. Full refunds for all shows will be offered.
“It was a hard decision but the right decision and we’re OK with that,” said Savoy executive director Pam Leader on Wednesday afternoon. “All six shows had been sold out and we were excited about returning to normal but it is what it is.
“It’s not really responsible of us to keep going and expecting people to come.”
The decision to cancel the in-house shows is due to this week’s escalation in provincial COVID-19 numbers.
But all is not a silent night yet — both performances are still available for livestream viewing, Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. for the Barra MacNeils and Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. for The Cape Breton Christmas Hour.
“People are happy about that — they still get to see the show and hear the show,” says Leader. “People can still have that Christmas tradition in their own house.”
Those who bought in-house tickets are being advised to secure livestream tickets instead for $25. Both performances will be offered with high-quality adaptive streaming by NovaStream.
Staff at the theatre will walk patrons through the steps to purchase the online link. To receive a refund or to purchase online streaming tickets, call 902-842-1577.
Elizabeth Patterson is the culture reporter at the Cape Breton Post.
