Dreamcoat nightmare: Joseph stage show closes after Covid hits the production… just two weeks after it returned to the West End
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat led the West End’s reopening
- But production has been forced to shut after just two weeks at London Palladium
- The decision came after one member of the production tested positive for Covid
It made a colourful return to the West End – but after just two weeks, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has been forced to close after one member of the production tested positive.
Government guidelines mean the show will be unable to return until August 17, less than three weeks before its run at the London Palladium ends.
The producers said on Sunday: ‘The producers of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium are very sorry to confirm that today’s performances have had to be suspended.
‘There has been a single positive case of covid identified within the company, and whilst the rest of the cast and backstage team have also since been tested and reported negative tests, the Government’s track and trace regulations now force all close contacts into isolation, resulting in the cancellation of performances.’
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has been forced to close after just two weeks after one member of the production tested positive. Pictured: Jason Donovan as Pharaoh
They thanked ticketholders for their ‘patience and understanding’ and offered exchanges or refunds, before adding: ‘We understand how disappointing this news will be and we are very sorry for the inconvenience it may cause.’
Sir Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production led the way as theatres reopened at full capacity last month, with Jac Yarrow as Joseph, Alexandra Burke as the narrator and Jason Donovan – who played Joseph in the 1991 West End revival – playing Pharaoh.
Donovan shared the news on his Instagram alongside a broken heart emoji and wrote: ‘We’re all GUTTED.’
Government guidelines mean the show will be unable to return until August 17, less than three weeks before its run at the London Palladium ends. Pictured: Jac Yarrow had been cast as Joseph in the production
Covid has also hit other productions, with the Prince of Egypt falling victim to the ‘pingdemic’ for a second time in two months. Its performances were cancelled from July 28 to August 7.
The news was announced in a statement on Twitter less than two weeks after it was first forced to close.
The musical, which returned to London’s Dominion Theatre on July 1 after a 15-month hiatus, was suspended for ten days until July 21.
The show’s producers thanked ticketholders for their ‘patience and understanding’ and offered exchanges or refunds,
Lord Lloyd Webber suffered the same setback with his new musical Cinderella after a member of the production tested positive for Covid. The show, starring Carrie Hope Fletcher in the titular role, was cancelled just hours before its opening night on July 19.
The theatre maestro claimed it was too difficult to see a route forward under the ‘blunt instrument’ that is the current Government guidelines.
He later revealed it will reopen on August 18.
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