Lloyd Webber's Cinderella still expected to open in April, reduced capacity being considered

Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella to open at the end of April as planned

West End theatre owner and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has announced his hopes of opening the new Cinderella musical in April as planned, the only caveat being that the seating capacity at London's Gillian Lynne Theatre may have to be reduced in order to accommodate social distancing measures.

Cinderella Premiere: Best-case scenario and worst-case scenario 

In an interview with The Stage, Lloyd Webber stated that the roll-out of the vaccine is quickly building up momentum while hospital treatment is improving, making an April premiere of the show possible. "Things will get better very quickly," he said. The worst-case scenario is that the show may have to open a few weeks later than originally planned given the emergence of a new coronavirus variant.

A figure of 75 per cent capacity is being discussed for the show, which is similar to other theatres in operation last October and December (at that point in time, there was no limit on seating so long as audience members were socially distanced). A precedent for slightly reduced seating capacity can be seen in Australia, where performances of Disney's Frozen, for example, are permitted to run at 85 per cent.

Andrew Lloyd Webber also revealed that he'd be willing to temporarily repurpose his theatres as vaccination centres if asked by the UK Government. Sanitation measures, which include hand sanitisation, deep cleanings, and the like, are likely to be in place long after COVID-19 has been defeated in order to prevent other diseases such as the common cold.

Cinderella Gillian Lynne Theatre cast and creative team

Cinderella will feature Carrie Hope Fletcher (Heathers, Les Miserables) in the starring role alongside the recently announced Ivano Turco as the charming Prince Sebastian and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt as the Evil Stepmother. The production has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by David Zippel, a book by Emerald Fennell, choreography from JoAnn Hunter, sound design from Gareth Owen, design from Gabriela Tylesova, and lighting design from Bruno Poet. Further cast and creatives will be announced in due course.

Cinderella original cast recording available for pre-order!

The reimagined musical story of Cinderella has already planned a cast album ahead of the show's eagerly awaited West End premiere. A tracklist has not yet been announced for the recording, but the Cinderella OCR album is available for pre-order and scheduled to be released on 16 April 2021. You can pre-order the Cinderella OCR here. 

Cinderella tickets, London available now from £24 and up!

The pumpkin carriage is about to roll up and you won't want to be late to the ball! Book your tickets for Cinderella today to secure the best seats at Gillian Lynne Theatre in London at the best prices whilst availability lasts.