Cheers greet the reopening of three mega-hit Broadway shows

By MARK KENNEDY
AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Kristin Chenoweth, Julie Taymor and Lin-Manuel Miranda welcomed back boisterous audiences to “Wicked,” “The Lion King” and “Hamilton” for the first time since the start of the pandemic, marking Tuesday as the unofficial return of Broadway. Chenoweth surprised the crowd at “Wicked” by appearing onstage for a speech on the same stage where she became a star years ago. “There’s no place like home,” she said, lifting a line from the musical. “The Lion King,” “Hamilton” and “Wicked” all staked out Tuesday to reopen together in early May after the governor picked Sept. 14 for when Broadway could begin welcoming back audiences at full capacity.