Feargus O'Sullivan on historic London theatres which weren’t built to last.
London theatergoers got a horrible shock when the ceiling of the historic Apollo Theatre caved in during a performance Thursday night. A large section of the plaster ceiling fell on the audience, damaging the auditorium's balcony and injuring a reported 76 people.
Seven people were severely hurt, but thankfully all victims left the scene conscious and breathing. It's too soon to be sure what caused the accident at the Edwardian theater (there's no sign of criminal damage) but the roof may have been weakened during a heavy thunderstorm that saw 15 percent of London’s usual (substantial) December rainfall within a single evening.
The accident is likely to spark emergency surveys for all of London’s historic theaters. While the Apollo's management would no doubt have acted fast had they known that anything like this could possibly happen, there have been warnings about the dilapidation of London theaters for years. Having a historic theater district may be a blessing, but it comes with a burden of care that profits don't easily support. All but two of the 40 theaters in the West End district – London’s equivalent to Broadway – were built before WWII, and these ornate, charming buildings are increasingly showing their age.
London theatergoers got a horrible shock when the ceiling of the historic Apollo Theatre caved in during a performance Thursday night. A large section of the plaster ceiling fell on the audience, damaging the auditorium's balcony and injuring a reported 76 people.
Seven people were severely hurt, but thankfully all victims left the scene conscious and breathing. It's too soon to be sure what caused the accident at the Edwardian theater (there's no sign of criminal damage) but the roof may have been weakened during a heavy thunderstorm that saw 15 percent of London’s usual (substantial) December rainfall within a single evening.
The accident is likely to spark emergency surveys for all of London’s historic theaters. While the Apollo's management would no doubt have acted fast had they known that anything like this could possibly happen, there have been warnings about the dilapidation of London theaters for years. Having a historic theater district may be a blessing, but it comes with a burden of care that profits don't easily support. All but two of the 40 theaters in the West End district – London’s equivalent to Broadway – were built before WWII, and these ornate, charming buildings are increasingly showing their age.