Theatres in UK likely to remain closed until next year
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Theatre producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh has said that West End and Broadway theatres are unlikely to be able to stage musicals until early next year.
Sir Cameron is a lauded theatre owner and theatrical producer, who has staged musicals including Cats, Les Miserables and the Phantom of the Opera.
His comments follow calls from other theatre professionals for urgent government bailouts, in order to save the industry from collapse.
Speaking to Michael Ball on BBC Radio 2, Sir Cameron said it’s impossible for theatres to plan for the future while social distancing is in place.
“We want the audience to feel safe, and we want the actors to feel safe.”
Theatres in many countries have been closed indefinitely in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
In the UK, all West End performances have been cancelled until at least 31 May.
Sir Cameron told Michael Ball it looked as if the West End and Broadway “are going to be the last to go back”.
“For major producers both sides of the Atlantic, the truth is until social distancing doesn’t exist anymore, we can’t even plan to reopen,” he said.
“We will be back, but we need time to get back. If we don’t hear [about lockdowns lifting] in a few weeks, I think the truth is we won’t be able to come back until early next year. I think that’s quite clear.
“And the longer it is until we can say social distancing is gone, the longer it’ll be for the theatre to come back.”
