West End theatres unlikely to reopen before next year, says Cameron Mackintosh

'We will be back': Theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh says it will take months and months to restage West End shows
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Zoe Paskett4 May 2020

Theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh said that theatres are unlikely to stage major shows until “early next year”.

Speaking on the Michael Ball Show on Radio 2, he said that social distancing due to the pandemic would mean the West End and Broadway would be “the last public entertainment to go back”.

All West End theatres have been closed since March 16, with shows officially cancelled up until May 31. This is certain to be extended with the Prime Minister likely to extend the lockdown this week.

Mackintosh said that all the major producers “both sides of the Atlantic” are talking to each other: “The truth is until social distancing doesn't exist anymore, we can't even plan to reopen.” He added that once it has been lifted, it will take “four to five months” to start producing musicals again.

"We will be back, but we need time to get back. If we don't hear in a few weeks, I think the truth is we won't be able to come back until early next year. The longer it is until we can say social distancing is gone, the longer it'll be for the theatre to come back."

He rejected the idea of inputting social distancing measures in productions at his theatres saying: “You can’t change the staging...One Day More? Can you imagine trying to do that six feet apart? It wouldn’t be any good. And an audience going together and being spaced out would be a horrible experience. It’s the experience that makes it so unique.”

“We want the audience to feel safe and we want the actors to feel safe.”

As well as producing the West End’s biggest musicals including Les Misérables, the Phantom of the Opera and Hamilton, Mackintosh owns a number of theatres. He said this was particularly affected, with “millions and millions” of pounds being lost.

“We know it’s going to get back eventually but it takes months and months to get huge shows like the ones we do up. So my heart goes out to all the wonderful artists and musicians and everyone who works in the theatre who are just sitting there waiting to practice their brilliant arts.”

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