![]() At the time if you were in an amateur choir, you were not allowed to gather with more than six people. “You can’t perform a musical of any scale to 50% of your audience because you’re just losing money left, right and center. “It was slightly taken out of context, but there comes a point where if the law’s an ass, you just have to say that it’s an ass,” says Lloyd Webber. His point, he argues, was that the science suggested the vaccines were effective, and authorities were already allowing sports events to play to packed arenas. Months later and with “Cinderella” opened (to great reviews), Lloyd Webber downplays his willingness to exchange capacity crowds for jail time. “Come to the theater and arrest us,” he challenged. His campaign reached its apex last summer when he vowed to move forward with debuting his musical “Cinderella” to full houses in June whether or not Boris Johnson’s government eased restrictions. For months, he threatened, cajoled and pressured the authorities to loosen restrictions when COVID was easing and bolstered the creative community’s spirits with his passionate belief that theaters had a vital role to play on a planet riven by division and disease. Instead, he went to war.”Īt a time when the theater industry was decimated by the pandemic, leaving hundreds of thousands out of work and playhouses on the verge of financial ruin, Lloyd Webber became the business’s most outspoken advocate. He could have sat back and seen what happened. He was a champion for the community, and he didn’t have to be. “It’s pretty universally acknowledged that he was there for us. “He was the hero we all needed,” says Sammi Cannold, a theater director who chronicled Lloyd Webber’s advocacy in the recent documentary “The Show Must Go On.” And for the past 16 months or so, the thing that one loves most in the world was taken away.” “It’s slightly overwhelming, and it’s very emotional,” says Lloyd Webber. Now, finally, London’s theater district is humming with activity and New York’s is welcoming back audiences. Throughout the pandemic he has waged a ceaseless campaign on both sides of the Atlantic to get theaters reopened, even vowing to defy authorities and risk imprisonment if the British government prevented his West End venues from operating at full capacity. There is a reason that Lloyd Webber is feeling so jocular. The mask, of course, is a reference to the crescent-shaped facial covering that the Phantom sports in a show that remains the longest running in Broadway history. “Why not give him a hat? Or better yet, a mask.” “We really must dress him up,” Lloyd Webber jokes to an associate during his interview with Variety at the New York theater, where “Phantom” will have its grand reopening on Oct. He has repeatedly accused the government of not doing enough to support the theatre industry during the pandemic.Ĭinderella will move to America early next year, opening in Broadway in March 2023.At the center of the action is Andrew Lloyd Webber, the mega-selling musical impresario who has made his first trip across the pond since lockdown and is now staring quizzically at a bust of Julius Caesar that was taken out of storage and placed in the lobby at some point over the past year and a half. In late December, Lord Lloyd Webber said he was "absolutely devastated" after it was forced to close until February due to disruption caused by the Omicron variant. ![]() ![]() ![]() "While mounting a new show in the midst of COVID has been an unbelievable challenge, we held the government's feet to the flames throughout their changes of heart during the pandemic."Ĭinderella only premiered in August after being rescheduled for COVID isolation protocols. "Not only did it get some of the best reviews of my career, but we led the charge to reopen the West End, ensuring that theatre and live entertainment remained relevant and in the news," he added. In an earlier statement, Lord Lloyd Webber said he was "incredibly proud" of the show. The Equity union called the show's closure a "callous attack on the dignity of the Cinderella company" and said staff must be compensated. Who knows what the future will hold - I won't lose hope." "I was so excited to join the cast, it was a lifelong dream come true, but sadly it isn't to be right now. He said on Instagram: "I was lucky enough to watch Cinderella in December 2021 and it was one of the most wonderful musicals I've seen in a long time. She posted an emotional video of herself reacting to the news.īake Off and Strictly Come Dancing star John Whaite was due to take on the Prince Charming role in July and said the show's demise was "heartbreaking" - especially for current cast and crew. Summer Strallen tweeted that she found out she had "been sacked via social media" after a friend sent her an article.
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