Japan's kabuki theatre resumes, socially distanced, after coronavirus hiatus

Staff members wearing protective face masks conduct a simulation on how to support social distancing at the entrance of the Kabukiza Theatre, where Japan's stately traditional kabuki theatre will resume on August 1 following a five-month closure due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan July 31, 2020. Picture taken July 31, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's stately traditional kabuki theatre resumed performances on Saturday after a five-month break due to the novel coronavirus, with musicians in masks, actors farther apart on stage and only half the usual number of seats.

The re-opening of Tokyo's famed Kabukiza Theatre, which called off performances from March due to the spread of the coronavirus, came even as new cases have spiked to record highs around the country.