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The British government will not let poor “Cinderella” go to the ball.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical was due to have its opening night in London on Tuesday, but the production was plunged into chaos due to one actor, among more than 30 cast, contracted the coronavirus.
Tonight’s premiere – which was supposed to coincide with the rest of England placing pandemic-related restrictions on what Downing Street calls Freedom Day – has been canceled and a new opening date has not been named. In a statement, the “Phantom of the Opera” composer and West End theater owner said that due to UK quarantine rules his musical may shut down altogether.
“Saturday, as part of this [testing] process, we identified a positive case in a member of our cast who made an appearance on the show, ”said Lloyd Webber. “As a precaution, we canceled two shows on Saturday while we ran further tests on everyone behind the scenes, which came back negative.”
The production then administered follow-up PCR tests, all of which were negative.
“Despite this,” said Lloyd Webber, “the impossible conditions created by the blunt instrument of the government’s isolation directive mean that we cannot continue. We have been forced to make a devastating decision, which will affect the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of people. ”
Lloyd Webber ended up sounding like his ghost about to demolish the chandelier of the Paris Opera: “The day of freedom has become the day of closure.”
But does he give up the sets and bring out the phantom light at the Gillian Lynne Theater? Sources close to the production insist that this is not a Lloyd Webber stunt and that the state of the series is truly uncertain. And a “Cinderella” spokesperson told The Post that there will certainly be no performances for the musical until next week – and what will happen beyond that date is uncertain.
“It’s hard to see a way forward under the current rules, but we’ll do everything we can to get back,” he said.
Other puzzled sources say the musical’s progress is strong and that Lloyd Webber would be foolish to throw “Cinderella” in the trash.
“Cinderella,” which Lloyd Webber wrote with lyricist David Zippel and Oscar winner Emerald Fennell, is the latest victim of what the UK press has dubbed “the pingdemic” – strict and mandatory isolation rules in which anyone who comes in close contact with an infected person, as tracked by an app that ping your phone, should stay home for 10 days, regardless of their vaccine status or negative test result. It is estimated that soon 10 million Britons could be sofa-locked.
The crippling restrictions on business, which will be reassessed on August 16, have taken their toll on London’s already struggling theater sector.
Over the past two weeks, big-budget musicals such as “The Prince of Egypt” and “Hairspray” have been forced to cancel weeks of performances – although most capacity and mask wearing rules have been canceled. ended Monday. “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” which is now back on stage at the Palladium, had to delay its launch for 12 days earlier this month.
“These rules spell the end of the West End,” said a source. “The government doesn’t care about us. They don’t see us until they show up on our red carpets and ask to pose for pictures with our stars. Just take a look at [culture secretary] Oliver Dowden at ‘Hairspray.’ He couldn’t wait for a pic of the first glimpse with Michael Ball in his dress. Then, no less than a week later, ‘Hairspray’ is forced to shut down for at least three weeks.
“They don’t care.”
The only show currently airing on the Great White Way, “Springsteen on Broadway,” is operating at 100% capacity, requires audience members to be vaccinated, and has so far had no performance interruptions. But this production only has two performers – Bruce Springsteen and his wife, Patti Scialfa.
Still, sources say Broadway should steer clear of the money-draining turmoil from the West End. When the big Broadway musicals – such as “Wicked”, “Hamilton”, “The Lion King” and “Moulin Rouge!” – back in September, cast and crews will need to be vaccinated, and anyone who tests positive for COVID will likely be sent home without canceling performances.
“I applaud London for taking so many steps forward in trying to get artists back to work, but that’s why Broadway is waiting,” a Broadway source said of New York theater’s subsequent return. “We cannot afford a 10 day shutdown. We cannot afford a two week shutdown.
“We’re going to be better prepared in the fall for how to handle this.”
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