The new West End musical A Christmas Carol has had its star-studded opening night just one day before it must shut, as producers warned theatres face disaster following the decision to put London into Tier Three.
The show at the Dominion Theatre in London has been running since December 7 but had its official opening night yesterday and was set to run until January 2 with audiences of 1,000 – half the venue’s normal capacity.
But it will now have only two further performances at 3pm and 7.30pm today – with star Brian Conley, who plays Ebenezer Scrooge, saying last night: ‘We opened tonight. We close tomorrow. What’s that all about?’
A review in What’s On Stage said theatres closing felt a ‘very Scrooge-like gesture on the part of a government that has yet to prove they love the arts’, while London Theatre Direct said the show ‘certified itself as a must-see’.
The Grade II-listed Dominion is owned by Nederlander Theatres, a division of the New York-based US group Nederlander Organization, which also owns the Aldwych and Adelphi theatres in London. The show was produced by musical director Freddie Tapner for the London Musical Theatre Orchestra and theatre producer Gary England.
The show, which had tickets available for today’s matinee for between £43.75 to £72.50, also stars Busted singer Matt Willis, EastEnders actress Jacqueline Jossa, X Factor star Lucie Jones and Sandra Marvin from Emmerdale.
Among the stars attending the UK premiere at the Dominion last night were Jessica Plummer from I’m A Celebrity, comedian Keith Lemon, stylist Gok Wan and TV presenter Emma Willis, who is also the wife of Matt Willis.
The update comes a day after the Government confirmed that London will move into Tier 3 from Wednesday, requiring restaurants, pubs and other leisure and hospitality venues to shut their doors to customers.
Footfall in Central London has been significantly weaker this year due to travel restrictions, the enforced closure of shops and venues and guidance for workers to stay at home, with West End landlord Shaftesbury announcing a £699million annual loss today after the pandemic battered rental income and caused property values to plunge.
Jessica Plummer (left) from I’m A Celebrity and comedian Keith Lemon (right) were at London’s Dominion Theatre last night
Emma Willis (left), whose husband Matt is in the show, and Gok Wan (right) attend the opening night in London yesterday
Hand sanitiser and temperature checks were in place before A Christmas Carol at the Dominion Theatre in London last night
A Christmas Carol, which was due to run until January 2, stars entertainer Brian Conley, Busted singer Matt Willis, EastEnders actress Jacqueline Jossa, X Factor star Lucie Jones and Sandra Marvin from Emmerdale
The musical was written by famed Disney composer Alan Menken, Lynn Ahrens and Mike Ockrent and premiered in 1994 at New York’s Paramount Theatre before running for more than a decade at Madison Square Garden.
It comes as Andrew Lloyd Webber said it seemed ‘arbitrary and unfair’ to ban performances while shopping was still allowed, while Cameron Mackintosh said forcing venues to close was devastating and ‘smacked of panic’.
Jon Morgan of the Theatres Trust said: ‘It is a disaster for London’s theatres. Theatres have worked incredibly hard to create safe environments for audiences and through no fault of their own will now face enormous financial losses. They have done so at great risk as it is currently impossible to secure production insurance.’
He said the tier system meant ‘more uncertainty and risk for months’ and called on the Government to introduce an insurance scheme to support the industry.
Tier Two restrictions had allowed for socially-distanced performances and museums to welcome visitors.
Among shows to be affected by the capital being plunged into Tier Three is Pantoland at the London Palladium, which opened on Saturday starring Julian Clary and Elaine Paige.
Sir Cameron said: ‘The sudden volte face in deciding to immediately put London into Tier Three and shut down the West End is devastating for both the theatre and the economy.
‘Even worse it smacks of panic and makes all our considerable and costly efforts to ensure the safety of both performers and audiences alike, widely praised by the health authorities, seem worthless. It breaks any sense of trust between us as an industry and the government departments we’ve been trying to build a rapport with.
‘The commercial theatre has had virtually no support from the Treasury, apart from the offer of quite expensive loans – which we, unlike the subsidised theatre, have been asked to give personal guarantees to repay. A lot of us do not want to go into debt to pay for losses caused by diktats completely out of our control.’
Lord Lloyd-Webber said: ‘Theatres have worked tirelessly to make themselves as Covid safe as possible.
‘It does seem arbitrary and unfair that people can jostle uncontrolled in crowded shops yet orderly socially distanced theatre-going is banned.’
Theatre producer Sonia Friedman said: ‘London going into Tier Three is yet another blow for British theatre – one it simply cannot afford after a brutal year, and one that both could and should have been avoided.
‘It feels like a final straw: proof that this government does not understand theatre and the existential crisis it is facing. Its short-sightedness is starting to look like serial mismanagement.’
Michael Harrison, director of the Pantoland pantomime which opened at the London Palladium on Saturday, said: ‘Whilst the safety and health of our visitors, staff and performers is of extreme importance, the Government’s yo-yoing approach on advice is frankly appalling.’
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge saw Pantoland last week with their three children.
The cast for A Christmas Carol at the Dominion Theatre includes (back row, left to right) Sandra Marvin as Mrs Fezziwig, Matt Jay-Willis as Bob Cratchit, Brian Conley as Ebenezer Scrooge and Lucie Jones as The Ghost of Christmas Past, with (seated, left to right) Jacqueline Jossa as The Ghost of Christmas Future and Cedric Neal as The Ghost of Christmas Present
Producers posted a message online yesterday saying that the performances at 3pm and 7.3pm today will still be going ahead
Miss Paige tweeted: ‘Oliver Dowden [the Culture Secretary] saw it for himself. And yet Tubes and flights still allowed? These rules are illogical. The audience response shows how desperate they are for two hours of escapism. If it’s so terrible – cancel Christmas!’
Playwright James Graham said the theatre industry has been ‘decimated’ ahead of the closure of venues.
Entertainment venues in the capital and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire will be welcoming visitors for the last time today before new Tier 3 restrictions come into force.
Graham, who wrote Ink, This House and The Vote, as well as TV dramas Quiz and Brexit, labelled the move as ‘sad’.
He tweeted: ‘The largest concentration of theatres on earth managed to open last week, only to close tonight.
‘The hope was to revive a decimated sector and tell stories at Christmas. Thousands spent to get Covid secure, closed in blanket measures. So sorry. So sad.’