‘This is not the way I wanted to say goodbye to Roxie’: Erika Jayne takes her final bow in Chicago after Broadway shuts down amid coronavirus fears
Erika Jayne’s stint as leading lady Roxie Hart in the iconic stage musical Chicago will come to an early close.
‘Well this is not the way I wanted to say goodbye to Roxie and my Chicago family but I have no choice,’ wrote the The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills alum to her 1.9million Instagram followers.
Erika’s announcement came after the New York Post confirmed Broadway would ‘shut down’ from March 12 through April 12 ‘in wake of the coronavirus situation.’
Gone too soon: Erika Jayne took to Instagram on Thursday afternoon to announce that her departure from Chicago production as Broadway ‘shuts down’ due to coronavirus fears
Jayne continued: ‘THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to everyone that came to the shows. I leave NYC feeling like my mission is incomplete but I will treasure this time always.’
Chicago, which began with Jayne in the leading role back in early January, was expected to finish out its run on March 29.
Following her announcement, the reality-turned-Broadway star received an influx of love for her RHOBH castmates.
‘Oh noooo,’ wrote Yolanda Hadid, who attached a heart emoji to her regretful reply.
Well this is not the way I wanted to say goodbye to Roxie and my Chicago family but I have no choice,’ wrote Erika to her 1.9million Instagram followers on Thursday; Jayne pictured at the 2019 E! People’s Choice Awards in Los Angeles in November
Short lifespan: Chicago was expected to run until March 29, but will now come to an abrupt end following Thursday’s news
Lisa Rina left a passionate response encouraging Jayne to relish in all she had accomplished during her time as Roxie.
‘YOU DID IT AND YOU KILLED IT!!! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!! SO PROUD OF YOU!!! YOU ARE A TRUE STAR MY FRIEND!!!!’
The Real Housewives Of Potomac star Gizelle Bryant wrote: ‘You killed it as long as you could.’
The Broadway shutdown was furiously egged on by the Actors’ Equity Association, which has been vocalizing the concerns of union members regarding contracting the potentially deadly virus.
All the support: Even though Jayne is saddened by the early close, many of her RHOBH castmates flooded her comment section with love and support; Jayne performing as Roxie Hart in NYC
A source revealed to the New York Post that ‘Equity is driving [the shutdown]’ and that ‘if actors don’t feel safe, they don’t have to perform.’
Aside from Chicago, many plays were set to make their Broadway debuts in the coming weeks, such as Tracy Letts’ The Minutes and Martin McDonagh’s ‘Hangman.’
Many shows are attempting to delay their debuts ‘until the fall,’ but many newly budding productions will likely ‘close and never return.’