West End impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber has been accused of firing the current cast of his Cinderella show just minutes before taking the stage.
The British theater industry has criticized the 74-year-old composer on Twitter and Instagram for “bragging about the Broadway performance” of the besieged musical, while announcing that it will close on June 12, less than a year after its official opening.
The current cast members were told that the show was fired just minutes before taking the stage at the Gillian Lynne Theater in London’s Covent Garden, Deadline reported. Future members of the cast claim that they learned about its cancellation only through social media.
And announcing its closure in the West End, Lloyd Webber – whose musical hits include The Phantom Of The Opera, Cats and Jesus Christ Superstar – said he intends to release the Broadway musical instead, with previews for the show starting in February next year.
Speaking last July, the theater legend insisted he ignored the “siren voices” suggesting moving Cinderella to Broadway.
Although Lloyd Webber’s really useful group did not give specific reasons for Cinderella’s closure, the show suffered heavy losses during its broadcast, especially when performances were suspended from late December to early February as Omicron grew in the UK.
During the pandemic, government restrictions meant the show was playing at a reduced capacity during its previews, with an expected weekly loss of £ 100,000.
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Cinderella has been affected by Covid’s disturbances from the start. The show was originally scheduled for August 2020, but was delayed due to the outbreak of the virus. Previews of the musical eventually began at 50% capacity in June last year, with a view to opening on July 20th. But just two days before its official opening, Cinderella was postponed again after a member of the cast tested positive for Covid.
The performances were resumed with an official opening on August 18th. Then, in December, Cinderella was stopped due to “absences related to Covid”, along with the London productions of the hit musicals “Hamilton” and “The Lion King”.
Lloyd Webber’s theater company told the current cast members: “Some of you will already know, we have just informed the creative / production teams, cast, crew and group and a press release will soon be published on social media. Thank you for your immeasurable contribution to the show.
“We should all be proud of Cinderella and everything we have achieved together, and we look forward to crossing our paths again after too long.”
Actress Summer Stralen said in a long Instagram video that she recently wore a wig before taking on the role of Queen by Rebecca Trehorn, and said she only found out that the show was canceled when a friend sent her an article on Sunday.
The theater star, whose parents Sandy Stralen and Cherida Langford starred in the original London production of The Cats, and whose aunt is Bonnie Langford, also said she turned down a “big deal” elsewhere for her role in Cinderella.
In an already deleted tweet, Carrie Hope Fletcher, who plays Cinderella, claims that she was told to cancel the show only “through other cast members and a member of the music team.” She later said: “I don’t think I have the words. And if I did, I would probably be advised not to say them. Sending love to all those affected by today’s news and the way this news was delivered. ”
A spokesman for a really useful Lloyd Webber group insisted today: “Everyone involved in Cinderella got in touch by phone, email or in person (some through agents) before the news went live tonight. Every effort has been made to ensure that people are informed before the live broadcast, while at the same time trying to control how fast it will move on social media once people are informed.
But the West End community remains united in outrage, with actor Robert Lindsay tweeting: “Shocking and unforgivable from a man who has earned so much from this precarious profession to reject those who are desperate to work on social media.
“#Andrewlloydwebber business is hard enough because it is.”
Paul Fleming, secretary general of Equity, said the way some people had learned about the closure was a senseless attack on the dignity of Cinderella.
Andrew Lloyd Webber attended a special gala performance of Cinderella at the Gillian Lynne Theater on November 22, 2021.
Actors Carrie Hope Fletcher, Lloyd Webber and Ivano Turko bow to the curtain during Cinderella’s performance in the press at the Gillian Lynn Theater on August 18, 2021.
Actor Summer Stralen, whose parents Sandy Stralen and Cherida Langford starred in the original London production of Cats, and whose aunt is Bonnie Langford, said in an Instagram video that she turned down a “big job” for a role in Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella
Robert Lindsay tweeted: “Shocking and unforgivable from a man who has earned so much from this precarious profession to reject those who desperately want to work through social media. #andrewlloydwebber business is tough enough because it’s “
Carrie Hope Fletcher, who plays Cinderella, appears to have claimed on Twitter that she was told to cancel the show only “through other cast members and a member of the music team.” In the post, which appears to have been deleted, she added: “I did not have an official call from the company to notify me before it was published online.” In a later tweet, Fletcher said: “I don’t think I have the words. And if I did, I would probably be advised not to say them. Sending love to all those affected by today’s news and the way this news was delivered. “
On the left, “Everyone Talks About Jamie” star Jordan Cunningham is furious: “The theater industry is really falling apart”
All That Dazzles tweeted: “Cinderella was a giant show before it even opened”
Malala Yousafzai and Lloyd Webber pose with cast members including Victoria Hamilton-Baritte, Rebecca Trehorn, Ivano Turko, Carrie Hope Fletcher, Laura Baldwin, Georgina Castle and Giovanni Spano after a special Cinderella gala performance in support of The Malala Fund Lynne Theater on November 22, 2021
How Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella moved from one crisis to another
Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella musical has been in crisis since its launch during the Covid pandemic.
The show was originally scheduled for August 2020, but was delayed due to the virus epidemic and restrictions that closed British theaters.
Previews of the musical eventually began at 50% capacity in June 2021 at the Gillian Lynne Theater in London’s West End, with a view to opening on 20 July.
But just two days before its official opening, Cinderella was postponed again after a member of the cast tested positive for Covid. The performances were resumed with an official opening on August 18th.
Then, in December, Cinderella was stopped due to “absences related to Covid”, along with the London productions of the hit musicals “Hamilton” and “The Lion King”.
At the time, Lloyd Webber said it was “just heartbreaking” to see the theater industry “destroyed” by the abolition of Omicron, adding that “no one in government is listening.”
He postponed Cinderella to 2022, “to avoid more disruption” as the number of Covid-19 cases increased across the country.
Lloyd Webber then announced that Cinderella’s productions would end in June 2022, less than 12 months after its opening.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie star Jordan Cunningham is furious: “The theater industry is really falling apart. No one is safe. @OfficialALW @ALWCinderella – disgusting behavior; your upcoming cast, your current cast and crew learn through social media; or their agents realize 2 minutes before the publication that it is over; completely rude ‘.
Composer Sam Young thundered: “And I’m sorry, but how the hell does he dare to boast on Broadway when the current and incoming cast of incredible talent in the UK has only had a second to process the news.”
The All That Dazzles account tweeted: “Cinderella was a giant show from before it even opened. And I’m not talking about how badly it was written and how the cast did a miracle to make it even watchable. The way the plaster has been treated by ALW over and over again is so horrible that it breaks my heart.
Actress Katie Ramshaw tweets: “Disgusting. An entirely new cast is waiting for rehearsals and realized that they will no longer be on social networks … I have no words.
Strictly Come Dancing finalist and chef John Waite expressed his broken heart at the news, as he was due to join the cast in July and take on the role of the Charming Prince.
White said in a statement in his Instagram Stories: “This is heartbreaking news. For me, because I had to take on the role of the Charming Prince in July, but even more so for the current cast, band and production team who fought with Covid to bring a brilliant new show to the stage.
“My heart is focused on each of them.
“I was lucky enough to watch Cinderella in December 2021 and it was one of the most wonderful musicals I’ve seen in a long time. I was so excited to join the cast, it was a lifelong dream come true, but unfortunately not right now. Who knows what the future will hold – I will not lose hope.
One social media claimed: “This cancellation of Cinderella in the West End is crazy. I mean, whether you like the show or not, canceling the remaining dates and not notifying the current or new cast is disgusting. Isn’t there respect for the actors in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s team? ‘
Another added: “But honestly – since Andrew Lloyd Webber treated everyone involved in Cinderella like that, no one should touch his work. No one should audition for his shows. Theatrical artists deserve much better, no matter …
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