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At time of going to press, most London theatres – including the whole of the West End – remain open in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, although expected government advice capping the size of public gatherings seems likely to change this imminently.
However, theatre shows are now starting to close in dribs and drabs for virus-related reasons, with the biggest casualty to date being the Old Vic’s revival of Samuel Beckett’s ‘Endgame’, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Alan Cumming. In a statement, the Old Vic said that ‘it is… becoming increasingly impractical to sustain business as usual at our theatre’ and has therefore pulled the remaining two weeks of the run.
At present, its next show, ‘4000 Miles’ starring Timothée Chalamet and Eileen Atkins, is due to go ahead, although there are plenty of reasons to imagine that it won’t be possible for it to begin previews on April 6 (not least because the 85-year-old Atkins may be quarantined if rumours are true).
In other cancellation news, the Young Vic has pulled the final week of its show ‘Nora: A Doll’s House’ after a member of the company went into the voluntary self-isolation.
The Arcola Theatre in Dalston has suspended all shows indefinitely.
The Finborough will complete the run of its current show, ‘Not Quite Jerusalem’, but will then suspend its programme until mid-April.
‘Power Share’, a weeklong programme of work at the Bunker Theatre has been cancelled.
And the Turbine Theatre has suspended all shows until mid-April.