News: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella cancels performances this week

On the day that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella was set to open in the West End, tonight, the composer has released a statement about the production, which is set to cancel performances this week.

It is uncertain when the show will be returning, with performances off sale for the forseeable.

Lloyd Webber said, “Today, on this “Freedom Day”, I have been forced to take the heart-breaking decision not to open my Cinderella.

At Cinderella, from the outset, we have employed a rigorous daily testing system for all the cast and backstage crew before they begin work. On Saturday, as part of this process, we identified one positive case in a member of our cast who has a cameo role in the show. As a precautionary measure, we cancelled two shows on Saturday while we carried out further tests on everyone backstage, which were negative. Any of those who were identified as a close contact of the positive case were given additional PCR tests. These tests too were negative. This morning we carried out additional tests on those due to perform tonight. Every one of them was negative.

Despite this, the impossible conditions created by the blunt instrument that is the government’s isolation guidance, mean that we cannot continue. We have been forced into a devastating decision which will affect the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of people and disappoint the thousands who have booked to see the show.

Cinderella was ready to go. My sadness for our cast and crew, our loyal audience and the industry I have been fighting for is impossible to put into words.

Freedom Day has turned into closure day.”

Performances this week at the Gillian Lynne Theatre will be cancelled, with more information following about performances next week and beyond. Customers who have booked will be contacted by their ticket provider.

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