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A day before Andrew Lloyd Webber’s highly anticipated musical “Cinderella” opens in London’s West End, and two days after a cast tested positive for coronavirus, the prolific composer and producer announced Monday that opening night will be again. delayed.
“I had to make a heartbreaking decision not to open my Cinderella,” he wrote on Twitter. “The impossible conditions created by the blind instrument, the government’s isolation guide, mean we cannot continue.”
Lloyd Webber’s announcement did not initially specify whether the production had shut down completely or simply delayed, but his spokesperson later explained that the opening of the show had been delayed, not cancelled, and that they “hope to open soon”. It is difficult under the current circumstances.”
The composer’s statement was likely an attempt to force the British government to change the quarantine rules for the actors and crew. He made comments in the newspaper headlines last month promising to turn “Cinderella” to “hell or high water” at full capacity – even if he faces arrest for doing so. It was quickly withdrawn from the plan after its audience, cast and crew risked fines for violating British coronavirus rules.
Based on its story and the book by Oscar-winning screenwriter Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”), the $8.2 million musical was scheduled to star Carrie Hope Fletcher and was previewed at half capacity with Gillian Lynne. Theater for about a month.
Lloyd Webber, 73, has been pressing the government for more than a year to allow theaters to open at full capacity. In An interview with The New York Times He said earlier this month that protocols requiring a show to cancel shows could be the death knell for a musical like “Cinderella” because one of the cast members had contacted someone who tested positive.
“The problem was we couldn’t continue,” he said. “We can’t keep bleeding every week because we do it 50 percent of the time. It’s almost unthinkable, but there comes a time when you just have to hand over the towel.”
The rise in coronavirus cases driven by the Delta variant in the UK is also closing London’s other West End theaters after productions such as “Hairspray” at the London Coliseum and “Romeo and Juliet” at Shakespeare’s Globe tested positive earlier this month. Riverside Studios in London has announced that Kenneth Branagh’s “The Browning Version,” which was scheduled to hit theaters next month, has been cancelled.
Despite a rise in cases that put the UK’s daily average to 39,950 – nearly double the level from just two weeks ago – nearly all social distancing and mask requirements were lifted on Monday, leading to widespread “Liberty Day” celebrations.
But for those about “Cinderella,” the news was dire.
“Cinderella was ready to go,” Lloyd Webber said in a statement. “Words cannot express my sadness for our staff and team, our loyal audience, and the industry I’m fighting for.”
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