The UK Government has moved London into Tier 3 and under these restrictions, theatres have had to close their doors once again on 16th December.
Currently, there is no clear date for when this latest decision will be lifted. Productions across the city had been starting back up with limited capacity, social distancing, temperature checks and masks worn inside the venues. Six, the musical about Henry VIII’s wives only reopened on the 5th, while Everybody’s Talking About Jamie started back up on 12th December.
The long awaited staged concert of Les Miserables at the Sondheim Theatre is said to be continuing performances on 15th December, having only opened on 5th December.
Speaking about the latest theatre closure, Julian Bird, Chief Executive of SOLT and London Theatre, said: “[…] government announcement placing London in Tier 3 from Wednesday is devastating news for the city’s world leading theatre industry. The past few days have seen venues beginning to reopen with high levels of Covid security, welcoming back enthusiastic, socially distanced audiences.
“Theatres across London will now be forced to postpone or cancel planned performances causing catastrophic financial difficulties for venues, producers and thousands of industry workers, especially the freelancers who make up 70% of the theatre workforce. We urge the Government to recognise the huge strain this has placed on the sector and look at rapid compensation to protect theatres and their staff over Christmas in all areas of the country under Tier 3 restrictions.”
Elaine Paige, who is currently starring in the pantomime being held at the Palladium, spoke out about the decision on twitter saying: “Devastated […] closes tomorrow night. Theatres are safe. Oliver Dowden saw it for himself and yet tubes and flights are still allowed? These rules are illogical. The audience response shows how desperate they are for 2hrs of escapism. If it’s so terrible, cancel Christmas.”
Theatres across the city will close from Wednesday, as will other venues affected by Tier 3 restrictions. If you have tickets for any performances in a Tier 3 region, please contact the box office for information about refunds and reschedules.
