Why West End theatre audiences ‘are champing at the bit’ to return

“It’s so good to feel happy!” exclaims Nica Burns. “Theatre was last to open in 2020, so we expected very little. I’m just so relieved that we’ve been included and that we have the ‘no earlier than’ dates we’ve been asking for. It means we can start to plan our return.”

Burns is upbeat about the Government’s roadmap, which has theatres reopening on May 17 (Step 3), and shows without social distancing on June 21 (Step 4). She’s particularly pleased about the level of detail. “We all understand that we can’t get to Step 4 unless everything else is working. But at least we can see the rationale for that.”

She’s glad that the words “cautiously and irreversibly” were used to describe this path out of lockdown. “That’s what we needed to hear.” Last Christmas, Burns took the enormous risk of reopening her West End venues – only to have to close again when London went into Tier 3, and then lockdown. “It was a lot of sleepless nights, making that decision to put shows on - and it cost £250,000 to open each time. We can’t slip back again.”

It’s great that “we’re heading back to normal life,” she adds, “but we can’t go mad and start hugging everyone in sight. We don’t want another lockdown. The message that we’re going to live with [Covid] is really sensible. This has given everybody something to work with.” She’s definitely planning to open all six of her West End theatres in May. “Now I can call up the actors and say ‘You get your job back.’”

Burns feels confident about reopening, knowing that her Nimax venues – which have hosted Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as well as musical Six – have all operated with social distancing and Covid-safe measures before. “We had 25,000 people coming through our theatres, and the feedback was that they felt safe. A few had comments, which we listened to so we could make things even better - that’s really important to us.”

But, crucially, audiences returned. “We didn’t have major stars in our shows. The Les Misérables concert, I bet Cameron Mackintosh he’d sell out the entire run in 48 hours. I lost that bet, because they sold out in 24 hours! But we didn’t have those big names, so it really meant a lot that we sold so well too. It told us that audiences want to come back.”

However, not all West End producers will be in the same position as Burns, most of whose shows and venues are mid-size. “For the really big shows, like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child [hosted by Burns's Palace Theatre], they can’t open with social distancing, so it wouldn’t be before June, and they can’t open until they’re certain. They didn’t reopen last year, so they need to get back into rehearsal, make sure the cast is still available, start marketing, and get a ticket advance in. I can gamble on a smaller show that doesn’t cost as much, but for a show that size, you need an advance.”

She thinks there’ll be some productions that return in June, and more of a staggered opening for others. “As we see how each step goes, and the vaccination rollout, we’ll get a clearer idea on when it’s viable. So this is really good news, but there is work still to be done.”

Looking further ahead, Burns believes the roadmap means that we will get Christmas entertainment nationwide this year. “If restrictions are aiming to be lifted in June, we should be fine to plan pantos and Christmas shows. You’d be surprised how much planning a panto takes, and they do have to play at full capacity. But with this timetable, it looks really hopeful.”

Burns is already on the case with testing, having set up a centralised testing hub at the Palace Theatre for the cast and crew working at all her venues. “It’s the largest theatre, so it made sense, and it’s easier than the producer of one show trying to manage it. The last Saturday before we closed in December, we did 120 tests before the matinee. There were no instances of Covid, and everyone felt reassured.” The new rapid testing will make that process “even easier.”

What about vaccine passports? Burns notes that audiences were happy about the introduction of contactless e-tickets, which were sent out once they’d completed a form saying that they didn’t have Covid, nor had come into contact with anyone who had it. “So some kind of electronic database would make sense long term. Anyone who can’t get vaccinated, we could give them a rapid test.”

And what will those audiences want to see? “It’s time to celebrate,” proclaims Burns. “We’re coming out of a very dark period. I’m sure there’ll be an appetite for drama that makes you think or cry, too, but surely we’ll all want an uplifting musical, where you leave the theatre feeling happier than when you went in.”

She recalls the first performance back of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, where “there was applause at the end of every number. It was like a welcome back, ‘thank you for giving us this.’ Audiences and performers all left on a high.” With capped audience numbers, “it felt like they were trying to make up for being half an audience, cheering louder and clapping harder.”

Burns is looking forward to bringing back Six, too, particularly since it’s such a favourite among younger theatregoers. “This year has been so hard on teenagers and students. Some are in their first year of university, they’ve paid for tuition and accommodation, but only had a fraction of the experience. They haven’t had a chance to...well, enjoy each other’s company! If we can give them a fun night, that will be really fantastic.”

As for new work, Burns is excited to see Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, which looks likely to be the first major West End debut this summer. “The good Lord has been leading from the front, and it’s been wonderful hearing all the songs that he’s put out. I’ll definitely be there on opening night.”

Burns is also producing a new musical about Bob Marley – Get Up, Stand Up! – written by Lee Hall, directed by Clint Dyer, and starring Arinzé Kene. The October opening for that now looks more secure, she confirms.

However, the sector needs further support in the meantime, says Burns. That means “clarity on furlough and an extension, the same with the business rates holiday and VAT cut, and ideally an insurance scheme and continued theatre tax relief. The European visa issue needs to be resolved too.”

Burns is realistic about the financial challenges. “Let’s face it: the country has borrowed a lot of money. We’re not idiots – we know it has to be repaid at some point. But our industry won’t be up to full speed until the autumn. So March 2021-2022 is a rebuild year. If the Government can help businesses until we start making profits again, it’ll pay off for everyone in the long run.”

Fellow commercial producer Eleanor Lloyd, the new head of the Society of London Theatre, was also elated when she first heard the roadmap news. “It’s much sooner and much more than we were expecting. It’s changed the fundamental mood.” But she notes that the initial delight “gave way to a reality check. We’re trying to work out exactly what it means.”

The crisis has instilled “a sense of caution,” says Lloyd, who produced Emilia and Witness for the Prosecution at London County Hall. “With that one week’s notice from the Government about proceeding to Step 4, it’s still a risk to plan for that. Some shows need three or four months’ lead time. Everyone’s going to have a different moment where they feel they can say ‘Yes, let’s go for it.’ But it is helpful to have a sense of the direction, and the conditions needed.”

She echoes Burns in saying that the big question is “how can our sector be nursed out of this? It’s not just restarting performances. We won’t get our normal audiences back immediately. Yes, there’s pent-up demand, but there probably won’t be international tourism this year, which is what keeps these big shows going for a long period of time. We don’t know quite what world we’re going back into.”

As a producer – and employer – she feels a certain pressure to “get up and running again for the workforce. But I have a responsibility to do it in a way that’s sustainable, rather than spending the money too soon and then it’s over. It’s encouraging that the Government thinks of this as one-way – opening for good. That’s how I want to act.”

Reading the detailed Government document, she’s aware of the hurdles to get over before Step 4, though is pleased to see “a commitment to that process of return. For big commercial shows, we can’t afford socially distanced performances, so that’s the key factor. But even if we don’t quite manage it in June, I feel much more confidence about reopening for the autumn.”

Lloyd has continued to develop shows during lockdown, thinking about what might be “lighter on its feet in terms of scale and cost” initially. She thinks we’ll see concerts and comedy bookings ahead of full-scale productions, but that they can look towards the latter for the end of the year or 2022. “It’s been hard to make proper plans. This [announcement] has kickstarted the process – we can get back to doing what we used to do.”

It has also, she emphasises, brought the issue of insurance “right back into focus. At the moment, we’re being asked to jump off that cliff without any safety net, trusting that we won’t be closed down again - either by law or by illness in the company. It’s a very temporary thing; the insurance market will return. But for now, we need Government backing. And if they have confidence in their own plans, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Like Burns, she also wants to see the Chancellor announce measures like theatre tax relief and furlough extension, “to help people take the risk and get things going again.” She hopes to see that outlined in the Budget, but thinks the insurance issue won’t be addressed yet. “That’s an ongoing conversation.”

Another complication is touring. “Big tours are very tricky – you play a week in each town, and they’re carefully constructed. You need all the venues open and all the shows to be played, so that it works financially for both the producer and the venues. We’ve got to get the timing right. Everyone relies on everyone else.

“People underestimate the size of the touring market – it’s as big as the West End in commercial terms, with something like 90 shows a week doing weekly touring in the UK. If you’ve got a full-scale musical, with a band, you need as close to 100 per cent capacity as possible.”

On the plus side, Lloyd does think audiences “around the country are absolutely champing at the bit. They can’t wait to be in a room with other people, sharing that experience.” What will they want to see? “Something escapist, definitely. But there are shows that are very good at being both entertaining and thought-provoking.” Even if work isn’t written as a response to Covid, Lloyd observes that “we’ll see everything through this lens. I’ve been rewatching The West Wing, and there’s a part where politicians are shaking hands with lots of people and worrying about germs - that hits differently now.”

Ultimately, she predicts, we’ll get a good mix of everything. “Artists have so many ideas, all this energy that’s been contained for a year. And we all value what we slightly took for granted before.”