Andrew Lloyd Webber has revealed he may consider legal action if the reopening of theatres is pushed back further amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The musical theatre impresario, 73, has been vocal about the struggles theatres and the Arts have faced amid the pandemic, and believes a further delay to the reopening of theatres could be the ‘final death blow’ for the sector.
At present, theatres are expected to be allowed to operate at full capacity on June 21, but this date may be subject to change depending on how the pandemic progresses.
While theatres were able to open at a reduced capacity since last month, the restrictions have meant it was not financially viable for many venues.
Andrew told the Daily Mail that if theatres are stopped from fully reopening, the issue becomes ‘what is the legality of the whole thing?’.
He explained: ‘If the Government’s own science has told them that buildings are safe… I’m advised that at that point things could get quite difficult.
‘This is the very last thing that anybody wants to do, but there would become a legal case at that point because it’s their science – not ours. I would passionately hope that we don’t have to, but I think we would have to consider it.’
The composer added that he would be happy to ask theatre-goers to wear masks following the success of Government trials at indoor events.
There have been multiple test events including the World Snooker Championships at Sheffield’s Crucible, which Andrew added had ‘shown there is no increased risk of transmission of Covid in a theatre.’
Andrew’s production of Cinderella is set to open at the Gillian Lynne theatre in the West End later this month but the complete lifting of restriction on June 21 depends on the impact of Covid variants on case numbers and deaths.
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