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Andrew Lloyd Webber announces reopening of theatres in early summer

Andrew Lloyd Webber has said he is “hugely optimistic” about the return of audiences after the rollout of a Covid-19 vaccine as he announced reopening dates for his major theatres.

The composer has announced the reopening of most of his theatres from early next summer after the venues were closed due to the pandemic.

Previews of the new musical Cinderella will begin on April 30 at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London’s West End.

The West End will also see the return of the classic The Phantom Of The Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre in June 2021.

A musical adaptation of the Disney film Frozen will arrive at the recently refurbished Theatre Royal Drury Lane in the spring.

The new musical adaptation of Back To The Future will be performed as the Adelphi Theatre also reopens next June.

London Palladium pilot performance
Andrew Lloyd Webber at the London Palladium during a pilot performance by Beverley Knight earlier this year (Andy Paradise/PA)

Matilda, a collaboration between comedian Tim Minchin and the Royal Shakespeare Company, will return to the Cambridge Theatre in Covent Garden in the late spring, with a date still to be set.

The Other Place, a smaller theatre part of Lord Lloyd-Webber’s LW Theatres group, previously announced it will reopen at the end of June 2021.

Lord Lloyd-Webber said: “I have been working ceaselessly throughout the year to get theatre back and these are the first dates that I feel confident that we will be able to reopen to full capacity.

“Having been on the Oxford Covid vaccine trial myself, I am hugely optimistic that once the vaccine rolls out, audiences will return to theatre in droves.

“My theatres will be ready for them. I am raring to go.”

Coronavirus – Wed Sep 30, 2020
Her Majesty’s Theatre in London was one of the venues shut by the pandemic (Ian West/PA)

Hospitality and entertainment sectors have been substantially impacted during the pandemic, with most of the sectors forced to shut during lockdowns.

In areas under Tier 3 restrictions, all indoor entertainment venues must stay closed.

Under Tier 2, in areas including London, venues have been allowed to reopen at a reduced capacity.

However, there will be no mixing of households inside and alcohol can only be served alongside a substantial meal at the bar or to be consumed while seated.

The Theatres Trust has previously said that it is not viable for many theatres to reopen with social distancing measures in place.