Covid-19

Andrew Lloyd Webber called his production of Cinderella in the West End "a costly mistake" on the night of the show’s final performance.

The production came to a close at Gillian Lynne Theatre on Sunday evening (12 June), after the composer unexpectedly cancelled the show weeks ahead of schedule.

Lloyd Webber was not in attendance, but the production’s director Laurence Connor read a letter from the impresario to the audience.

The statement paid tribute to the production’s cast, crew, musicians and creative team, before lamenting the decision to open a musical during the pandemic.

“I keep thinking if only we had opened three months later, we wouldn’t have had to postpone our opening twice because of Covid,” the statement continued.

“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 while to come.”

The statement was met with jeers from audience members, following boos when Lloyd Webber's name was read out during the curtain call.

A revised version of Cinderella is expected to open on Broadway next year.

The Mayor of London’s Culture Team and Creative UK are joining forces in an effort to tackle "systemic inequalities" facing freelancers in creative industries. 

The partnership will hold an event in July where freelancers and organisations working across London’s creative economy will be given the opportunity to test, prioritise and develop ideas for a more sustainable freelance model for creatives.

The guidance and ideas that emerge from the online event will be taken forward and shaped into a robust business case, as part of City Hall's Redesigning Freelancing programme.

Creative UK said the fragility of the freelance model, which the creative industries rely on heavily, was revealed during the pandemic when many parts of the creative industries experienced a sudden, large drop in their volume of work, with freelancers left unsupported.

Evy Cauldwell French, Development & Partnerships Manager for Impact & Change at Creative UK, said: “Creative freelancers working throughout London continue to face an unequal playing field, with many sadly choosing to leave creative occupations due to unsustainable practices. 

"We are pleased to announce our partnership with the Mayor of London’s Culture Team, with whom we are empowering organisations and freelancers working across London’s creative economy to create a more sustainable future for our growing workforce.”

London’s Florence Nightingale Museum is set to reopen after two years of pandemic related closures.

The museum will welcome the public from May 12 - International Nurses’ Day and the 202nd anniversary of Nightingale’s birth.

Featured exhibitions include a celebration of Nightingale’s bicentenary, an updated Crimean War display, and a new family activity trail.

Director David Green says after an “immensely costly” closure, the museum is back on surer footing.

“After the experiences of the past two years, the value of nurses has never been clearer [and] we are so pleased to be returning to tell the story of Florence Nightingale and the people following in her footsteps today.”