Entertainment
Andrew Lloyd Webber ‘devastated’ by reports of him saying Cinderella was ‘costly mistake’-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro
The West End show came to a close on Sunday.
Andrew Lloyd Webber has addressed the response to his letter (Picture: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Andrew Lloyd Webber is ‘devastated’ by reports of him saying his production of Cinderella was a ‘costly mistake’.
The show’s last performance was held on Sunday at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London’s West End, and a letter was read out by Laurence O’Connor after the final bow in which Lloyd Webber detailed the issues he and the production faced during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a statement on Twitter seeking to clarify his remarks, the theatre boss said: ‘I am devastated to have been reported to have said that my beloved production of Cinderella was a “costly mistake”.
‘Nothing could be further from the truth and I am very sorry if my words have been misunderstood. I adore this production and I am incredibly, incredibly proud of Cinderella and everyone who has been involved in our show.
‘We were desperate to support the West End after two years of a devastating pandemic and the mistake we made was trying to open too early, meaning we had to postpone twice.
‘Everything we did was to try and support the West End and get everyone back to work after the worst period in our history. For now, I want to say thank you to everyone involved in Cinderella for all you have done. With love today and always, Andrew Lloyd Webber.’
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Andrew Lloyd Webber wasn’t in attendance but did sent a letter to be read out (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Clips from the speech were uploaded to social media, which showed the audience’s reaction to Lord Webber’s words, including laughs and surprised murmurs when, after thanking the cast and creative team, he referred to staging the production as ‘a costly mistake’.
The production had been hit with Covid-related disruption since first being workshopped in 2019, before previewing in June 2021 with a reduced audience due to pandemic restrictions.
As read by O’Conner, Lloyd Webber’s letter said: ‘I keep thinking, if only we had opened three months later we wouldn’t have had to postpone our opening twice because of Covid.
Director Laurence O’Conner read out the letter (Picture: Twitter/@adam_james2204)
Lord Webber with stars Carrie Hope Fletcher and Ivano Turco on Cinderella’s press night in August 2021 (Picture: Getty)
‘If only we hadn’t had to close for a month over Christmas and New Year, once again thanks to Covid. And if only we had had a crumb of help from the Recovery Fund, I promise you we would have been here for a very long time to come.
‘Anyway, my huge thanks to everyone. We kept the government’s feet to the flame and lead the charge to the West End opening again.
‘It might have been a costly mistake, but I am proud that we did and proud of everyone who supported me. Cinderella got some of the best reviews of my career.’
More: Andrew Lloyd Webber
When contacted for comment, a spokesperson from Lord Webber’s Really Useful Group told Metro.co.uk: ‘The reference to a ‘costly mistake’ was never – and would never be – about the production.
‘It related to the early opening of the show and the myriad challenges faced because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which the full text makes clear. As Andrew said in the letter, he is immensely proud of the show and that is hugely due to everyone involved.’
Cinderella is still set for Broadway in March 2023 under production company No Guarantees.
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