West End Productions Ensure The Shows Will Go On And Reopen

London’s West End productions are readjusting their preparations and procedures in order to be able to reopen shows fully in line with the government guidance in the UK. While the roadmap to recovery has faced several stumbling blocks and setbacks in recent months, particularly in the arts and entertainment sectors, the industry has refused to lay down and quit, with new directives in place to ensure the shows will go on – quite literally – in the near future.

Hairspray

The West End production of Hairspray the Musical has had a terrible time – they opened, then almost immediately had to close the show due to a Covid case in the team, however not ones to be beaten, they’ve come up with a new solution to ensure they can get up and running once again.

The show which is currently playing at The London Coliseum, has made the decision to hire off-site cast members to be on-hand in the event that anyone in the team is forced to self-isolate in the near future. The solution seems like an incredibly positive one – certainly hiring more artists after the last 18 months can only be a good thing, while the practicalities of keeping the show going seems like a winning solution.

“With the current guidelines around isolation, we felt it necessary to bring in some reinforcements, who we have been able to rehearse in to the show during out dark period, to ensure the show will go on.” Adam Spiegel – Producer of Hairspray the Musical

The new cast members have been officially announced as:

Gavin Alex, Alice Baker, Philip Catchpole, Chanel Edwards-Frederick, Georgia Iudica-Davies, Emma Louise Jones, Michael Kent, Esme Laudat, Samuel Nicholas, Charles Ruhrmund, Dominic Sibanda and Shakira Simpson.

Hopefully these measures will ensure a smooth run to the end of the show’s scheduled dates, which sees the production set to run until 29^th September.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella

In what has felt very much like an uphill battle from the outset, it is looking hopeful that the new show from Andrew Lloyd Webber will indeed be able to go ahead from 18^th August. The debut was set to coincide with the reopening of England in July, however this had to be pushed back due to a positive Covid result in the team, in a very similar situation to the Hairspray production.

The UK’s government guidance has now announced that the track and trace rules will not apply to double-vaccinated people, and if they come into contact with someone who has tested positive they will now in fact not need to self-isolate. The repercussions of this could be huge for businesses getting back on their feet when it comes to welcoming groups of people – there were previous worries about safety first and foremost, and the practicalities of last minute cancellations for those who may be notified they need to self-isolate – both from the audience members as well as those working in the shows.

The much-anticipated World Premiere of ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S CINDERELLA at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, a new romantic musical comedy featuring an original story and book by 2021 OSCAR® winner EMERALD FENNELL (Promising Young Woman) and lyrics by Tony & Olivier award winner DAVID ZIPPEL (City of Angels). LAURENCE CONNOR (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, School of Rock) directs with choreography by JOANN M. HUNTER.

Hopefully, these obstacles will be helped by the initiatives of both the companies and the changes in government guidance to get both Hairspray and Cinderella up and running in a normal manner before too long. In anticipation, new unseen footage has been released ahead of the Cinderella debut to keep audiences going as they count down to 18^th August. We are keeping everything crossed for the West End’s success in the coming weeks.

Links:

Hairspray the Musical

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella

Also by Michelle Sciarrotta: