We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

The legendary composer and impresario said overseas buyers would be happy to take advantage of hard-up theatres which were forced to bring down the curtain as the pandemic swept across the UK.

There are major buyers circling around who are not British and would like to own West End theatres

Lord Lloyd Webber

Lord Lloyd Webber said: “There are major buyers circling around who are not British and would like to own West End theatres.”

He said the price of the Theatre Royal Haymarket was inflated by a Chinese bidder when it came on the market in 2018.

The theatre was eventually bought for a reported £45 million, paid by the billionaire Sir Leonard Blavatnik.

The purchase price was much higher than London theatres, including the Victoria Palace, which Cameron Mackintosh bought for about £26 million in 2014, and the Palace Theatre, in 2012.

Lord Lloyd-Webber said: “So it might not just be Chinese phone networks the Government has to worry about.”

Lord Lloyd Webber, who has produced a string of West End blockbusters in a long career, also said the sector had received “no clarity” from the Government about how its £1.57 billion support package for the arts will be distributed.

And he warned theatre owners will be forced to put their venues up for sale unless urgent funds and a clear timeline for reopening is forthcoming.

Theatres were ordered to closed on March 16 to help slow the spread of coronavirus and many fear they will go out of business in the coming months without support.

Earlier this month, the National Theatre told their 400 members of casual staff that they will lose their jobs in a move it described as unavoidable due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Lord Lloyd Webber, spoke to The Daily Telegraph, has also been trialling measures at the London Palladium that could allow the theatre business to get back up and running after Phantom Of The Opera continued in South Korea with strict hygiene measures and no social distancing.

The 72-year-old hosted a pilot performance by Beverley Knight at the London Palladium last night when strict social distancing measures were in place and the auditorium at 30 percent capacity.

Audience members were given an assigned arrival time and spread sparsely across the theatre with some rows left empty.

Speaking after the performance, Rebecca Kane Burton, chief executive of LW Theatres – the venue’s owner – said she was relieved to reopen the doors.

She said: “I want to get this place back open, no social distancing.”

DON’T MISS
When will theatres open again? Boris’ BIG boost to struggling industry[INSIGHT]
Outdoor theatre near me: Where are outdoor theatres in the UK?[SPOTLIGHT]
Victory for Daily Express as Government throws theatres a lifeline[CAMPAIGN]

She continued: “And hopefully today has demonstrated that we run a tight ship, we know how to manage things, we have the right mitigations in place, and people just need this back in their lives.

“Beverley needs it, the freelancers need it, the 290,000 in our industry – they need to get back into work. We are not a risk. We know how to do things properly. I’m excited.

“Hopefully today is the first step in showing the world, Public Health England, DCMS, whoever needs to see the evidence, we manage a tight ship.”

Boris Johnson has announced live indoor theatre and concerts would be able to resume with socially-distanced audiences from August 1 subject to the success of pilots such as last night’s event at the Palladium.

Source: Read Full Article