Broadway show becomes first to adopt mask-only parties

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The Kite Runner became the first Broadway show to require audiences to wear masks during certain performances.

This decision is particularly notable because the show's weekly mask - only the evening will take place on Fridays - one of the most popular nights in New York's theater district.

Fans with disabilities or other health conditions have long clamored for theaters to hold masked parties only.

But major theaters in London's West End don have yet to introduce such a schedule.

The producers said they scheduled the performances after some ticket buyers "expressed apprehension" at the idea to come see the show.

In England and Wales, the mask mandate was lifted in January, in line with a significant drop in Covid cases and deaths following the deployment of the vaccine.

As a result, it has become increasingly rare in recent months to see members of the public wearing face masks at the vast majority of West End performances.

However, the US has been much slower than the UK to remove mask rules face.

Broadway theaters only lifted the industry-wide mask mandate on July 1, and two plays - The Minutes and Americ ...