Opening up: West End theatres spring back to life as doors reopen

Many West End theatres began reopening their doors at the weekend for the first time since March, in a move hailed as "a momentous moment” for the industry.

Among those reopening their doors for the first time since closing eight months ago were the Garrick Theatre, the Lyric Theatre and the Sondheim Theatre, which is home to the Les Mis concert.

It comes as Andrew Lloyd Webber revealed plans to open six of his West End theatres by the summer of 2021, in a move that is being seen as a major boost for the sector.

Nimax chief Nica Burns had previously indicated her intention to begin a phased reopening of her six theatres earlier this year, and had already brought Adam Kay’s This Is Going to Hurt to the Apollo, which opened in October shortly before the second lockdown in November.

“It was a very emotional, very exciting weekend,” Burns said. Nimax venues staged 12 performances over the weekend, she added, including four performances of Six at the Lyric.

The Garrick reopened with Death Drop and Potted Panto, while the Apollo hosted Roles We’ll Never Play.

This week, 42 performances of 12 different shows will be staged across all six of Burns’ venues, including the reopening of the Duchess Theatre with The Play That Goes Wrong, the Vaudeville Theatre reopening with Mischief Movie Night, and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at the Apollo.

“When my staff turn up for work their eyes are smiling and they skip in. They are so pleased to be working,” Burns said. “It’s not just a job. It’s a job that is their heart too.”

She added that, with Lloyd Webber’s announcement of his venues reopening next year, it was “a momentous weekend for theatre”.

“It is like it is really happening. His announcement for me was the cherry on top of the cake,” she said.

Speaking about the review of the tier system on December 16, which could lead to London facing tougher restrictions, Burns said: “If I spent my time every day worrying what the government is going to do, I wouldn’t get out of bed.”

She added that with the theatres reopening, more than 20,000 people would be coming into the West End and the surrounding area, “helping get the economy going”.

Six producer Kenny Wax, who is also behind the Mischief Theatre shows opening this week, said the “whole Six team felt very proud to be leading the charge in production terms, with great respect to Nica and the Nimax workforce for driving so hard to make it happen”.

He said 100 people had been given their jobs back thanks to Six returning, but repeated calls for greater support from the government.

“This is about supporting jobs and giving confidence to West End audiences, demonstrating to them that it’s safe to come to the theatre providing they take the necessary precautions.

"At 50% capacity, both Nimax and Six are, at best, covering our cost. We need a Stage Five announcement and we must have a government-backed insurance scheme to cover cancellation costs to enable the bigger shows to return and to safeguard the shows that have taken the first tentative steps,” he added.

James Seabright, producer of Potted Panto at the Garrick, described the circumstances of staging the show as “the most unusual and challenging I have experienced in the decade of producing it".

“The whole team on and off stage have worked hard on adjustments to make it appropriate to the current parameters for theatres reopening - we have taken out the interval, shortened the running time, removed and adjusted audience participation sections, and found funny workarounds to avoid things like Prince Charming waking Sleeping Beauty with a kiss,” he said.

He added: “There is a bittersweet edge to the whole experience of staging a show as theatres reopen for the second time this year – and that is the fact that many wonderful productions have not been able to go ahead with live audiences, due to the Tier 3 guidance now requiring theatres to remain closed in areas under those measures.

"It is a great shame that so many of my colleagues around the country find themselves unexpectedly out of work, and so many audiences have to be disappointed by seeing tickets and performances cancelled yet again.”

Seabright said there was "no scientific support for the idea that socially distanced audiences would present any kind of virus-transmission risk” and joined calls for theatres everywhere to be reopened.

“I hope that these voices will be heard, and the government position changed, as it is so vital to the mental health of audiences and artists, and to the economic health of the whole country, for performances to happen," he said.

Meanwhile, at the Sondheim Theatre, Les Mis returned on December 5, with Cameron Mackintosh taking to the stage to welcome audiences back.

For this production, Mackintosh has connected the Sondheim with his next-door theatre the Gielgud to make use of its backstage facilities and dressing rooms. This has doubled the backstage space to ensure the maximum safety of performers and staff.

Mackintosh said: “We are here tonight because this incredible cast, these amazing musicians and all my creative team wanted to do something to bring back spectacular theatre to the West End at this time. By them all clubbing together and saying: ‘Can we do this?’, they have made it happen. It’s been incredible.

"We have not had any help from the Treasury as yet, so it has been very, very, very hard for everyone in the theatre – particularly all those who are self-employed. Nevertheless, many of these people tonight have given up their temporary jobs – stacking shelves, driving vans, working on building sites – in order to come back and do this show.”

The reopenings come as Lloyd Webber confirmed plans to open six of his West End theatres by next summer.

New musical Cinderella will be the first, opening at the Gillian Lynne from April 30, with The Phantom of the Opera coming back to Her Majesty’s Theatre in June. Back to the Future will reopen the Adelphi Theatre in June, while Matilda and Frozen will reopen the Cambridge Theatre and Theatre Royal Drury Lane respectively in the spring.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will play at the London Palladium, which has already been open, in July.

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.”