Cameron Mackintosh, the theater owner and producer, has said that it is likely venues in both the UK and U.S. won’t be able to re-open until 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic.
In an interview with BBC Radio Two, Mackintosh said that the West End and Broadway would be “the last to go back” after lockdowns ease.
“For major producers both sides of the Atlantic, the truth is until social distancing doesn’t exist any more, we can’t even plan to reopen,” he said. “We will be back, but we need time to get back. If we don’t hear [about lockdowns lifting] in a few weeks, I think the truth is we won’t be able to come back until early next year. I think that’s quite clear.
“And the longer it is until we can say social distancing is gone, the longer it’ll be for the theatre to come back.”
In the UK all West End shows have been cancelled until at least May 31, but with the country yet to begin lifting its lockdown, that date looks unlikely to stick.
Last week, Deadline revealed that Broadway is aligned with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plans for re-opening theaters, with industry estimating September as the earliest possible date for that to happen.
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