Hurricane Irene: 'Lion King,' 'Mary Poppins,' more cancellations

Hurricane Irene has claimed its first Broadway victims. Two Disney musicals -- "The Lion King" and "Mary Poppins" -- announced late Friday they will cancel their Saturday and Sunday performances due to the hurricane that is expected to reach the New York area over the weekend.

Disney said that all tickets for the affected performances for both shows will be refunded at the original point of purchase."The Lion King" is currently running at the Minskoff Theatre while "Mary Poppins" is playing at the New Amsterdam Theatre.

The cancellations came hours after New York announced that mass transit around the city and suburbs will shut down over the weekend in response to the hurricane.

Also on Friday, Lincoln Center announced that closing night of the Mostly Mozart Festival, scheduled for Saturday at Avery Fisher Hall, has been canceled due to the mass transit shutdown. The Whitney Museum will be closed on Sunday.

In Washington, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design will close at 3 p.m. on Saturday and will remain closed through Sunday.

RELATED:

Hurricane Irene: Broadway, cultural institutions threatened

Hurricane Irene: New York battens down for a dark, wet weekend

Hurricane Irene: Get ready for blackouts and more

-- David Ng

Photo: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks during a Friday news conference about Hurricane Irene. Credit: Eduardo Munoz / Reuters