People burst into song on New York streets after blackout causes theatres to be evacuated

'I guess this is what they call a New York moment'

People evacuated from a Carnegie Hall concert during a blackout due to widespread power outages in Manhattan listen to the choir singing on the street. Reuters

New York City was hit by a blackout on Saturday evening, taking out power across Manhattan.

The power cut forced thousands on to the streets as buildings in the area were evacuated, including theatres in which Broadway shows were due to begin.

All performances for the evening were cancelled as a result of the blackout, but that didn’t stop cast members from putting on a show.

As thousands gathered outsider theatres in the crowded streets, widespread singing broke out.

The cast of Waitress: The Musical kept crowds entertained as they performed numbers from the show outside the closed theatre. The Millennial Choirs and Orchestra, which had been scheduled to play at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, also continued their show outside.

Across town, members of the cast from Rock of Ages continued the show, performing the classic Don't Stop Believin' to a jubilant crowd, while the Hadestown ensemble had people dancing as they improvised a blackout-themed song, trombone in tow.

Twitter user Briallen Hopper called it a “New York moment”.

Hundreds of thousands of people across the city were affected by the outage, which plunged Manhattan into darkness, causing subway cars and elevators to stall. The New York City Fire Department said a transformer fire at West 64th Street and West End Avenue affected a 30-block stretch from Times Square to about 72nd Street and Broadway.

The fire happened just before 7pm US time on Saturday, authorities said.