Off-Broadway shows canceled after copper pipes stolen from theater

NEW YORK - Performances of the off-Broadway shows "The Office! A musical parody" and "Perfect Crime" are on hold this week due to a real-life crime. 

"It's a really terrible crime to steal pipes from a building where suddenly so many people are going to be unemployed," said Catherine Russell, an actress and the general manager of the venue The Theater Center on West 50th Street in Midtown. She came to work this past Friday morning to find that the heat wasn't working and the water wasn't running throughout the entire four-story building. 

"The police came and explained that this is a fairly frequent crime — people break into buildings and they steal the copper and sell it for a few hundred dollars," Russell said. "But it's thousands of dollars' worth of damage — extremely frustrating crime."

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Police confirm they are investigating a burglary at the venue after copper pipes were reported stolen. It's believed the suspects gained access by breaking into a vacant restaurant below. Then just a few days later, a man tried to kick open the building's door, shattering glass everywhere, surveillance video shows. The pipes and door were replaced quickly but five days of performances had to be canceled as the heat just came back on. 

"We've been able to stay open and we are working hard to get audiences, so to have to close because somebody stole copper pipes is extremely frustrating," Russell said. "We worked so hard to get people to come to the show."

Both shows are set to resume on Thursday, which should give the building time to warm up. Russell said when it comes to repairs and paying salaries without having ticket sales, the venue lost close to $50,000.