The composer calls it ‘a devastating decision that will affect the livelihoods of hundreds of people, and disappoint thousands’
Andrew Lloyd Webber has announced the cancellation of the opening night for his new musical, Cinderella, just hours before it was due to welcome the press and its first full-capacity audience. Uncertainty now hangs over the future of the show, which the composer says has been subjected to “the impossible conditions created by the blunt instrument that is the government’s isolation guidance”.
Two preview performances of Cinderella were cancelled on Saturday as a precautionary measure after the testing system at the Gillian Lynne theatre in London’s West End identified a member of the cast in a small role who had Covid. In a statement on Monday afternoon, Lord Lloyd-Webber said that further tests had been carried out on backstage crew and on those due to perform on Monday evening, and that they had all been negative. Nevertheless, the production will now remain closed for the rest of this week due to the government’s Covid isolation instructions. Tickets for performances beyond this weekend are no longer available on the show’s website, which says they will go back on sale soon.
