Following on from the delaying of the next step of the reopening roadmap, composer and venue owner Andrew Lloyd Webber has released a new statement regarding the opening of his new musical ‘Cinderella’ 

During the Prime Minister’s speech earlier in the week, it had been suggested that he had been in talks with Lloyd Webber about letting ‘Cinderella’ open to higher capacities as part of a pilot scheme. It has now been confirmed that this is not the case with Lloyd Webber stating that ‘I cannot and will not take part in yet another pilot scheme around the reopening of theatres, as suggested by the Prime Minister on Monday. I have made it crystal clear that I would only be able to participate if others were involved and the rest of the industry – theatre and music – were treated equally’. 

It had been stated that Lloyd Webber was willing to risk fines and arrest in order to open his new production to full capacity, but the statement released today makes it clear that after seeking legal opinion it was made clear that if they had gone ahead at 100% capacity, it would have been very likely that every member of the cast, crew, orchestra, theatre staff and audience would have been at risk of large fines and this was a risk that he was not willing to take. 

‘Cinderella’ will open on the planned date of Friday 25 June, at 50% capacity with social distancing in place, with Lloyd Webber stating ‘I could not look my young cast and crew in the eyes to tell them we were delaying or closing down. So, I have made the decision to personally bear the losses until we fully open on – or hopefully before – 19 July’