The West End will come alive again as six theatres prepare to open their doors
The West End's bright lights will be back on, with a theatre group reopening its venues from next month.
After seven-months of closure, the owner of the Apollo, Duchess, Garrick, Lyric, Palace and Vaudeville theatres will welcome audiences back to the capital, starting with the Apollo in October, The Sunday Times reports.
Popular musicals Everybody's Talking About Jamie and comedy The Play That Goes Wrong will return in November. The Nimax group is said to be "working on the logistics" of bringing back its most popular production, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, at the Palace Theatre at the beginning of 2021.
Nica Burns, chief executive of Nimax, and her team have drawn up a 100-page guide for each of the six theatres, which will reopen with a socially-distanced audience. As a result, many seats will be removed, providing audience members with more legroom.
People will be able to buy up to six tickets online, or on contactless devices at the theatre. Ticket buyers will have to fill out a health questionnaire before they arrive, and masks and temperature checks will be compulsory.
Click-and-collect interval drinks will reduce queueing at the bar.
Due to reduced capacities, the theatres will be unable to make a profit. Despite that, Nimax Chief Executive Nica Burns hopes to entertain 20,000 customers a week who will "energise the beating heart of our city particularly the cafes, bars and restaurants that are an essential part of the fabric of the West End."
"I am delighted to announce we will be switching on all our lights and presenting a special season of fantastic entertainment," Burns said in a statement.
"All our venues will open with social distancing plus robust risk mitigation to comply with government COVID-19 Secure guidelines. Although with reduced capacities it is not possible to make a profit, we are determined retain Nimax's highly skilled, experienced workforce alongside the huge, talented tapestry of freelancers onstage and backstage, plus the many teams and businesses which together give our audiences a night to remember. Our theatre community cannot wait to get back to work safely."
First up at the Apollo Theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue is This is Going to Hurt written and performed by ex-NHS doctor Adam Kay. Kay will open his run with a free performance for NHS staff on 22 October.
Tickets will soon be on sale at www.nimaxtheatres.com as is registration for NHS staff to enter the ballot for their free performance.
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