Sometimes I wonder why I still buy a newspaper at the weekends. And then on Saturday, The Times had a two page spread in their Review supplement on the refurbishment of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The banner headline read Andrew Lloyd Webber: "I don't run theatres for profit, never have.
Although there is a video on YouTube (right click below) where Andrew presents a short clip called "Restoring Theatre Royal Drury Lane", it has nowhere near the detail in the newspaper article. Here we learn that it cost "roughly £60 Million". As Andrew says, Sheridan (the playwright who ran the Lane in the 19th century) went bankrupt and "I'm not convinced I won't".
I liked how we were told about what has been restored especially the public spaces. The bit about they acquired mahogany for the kiosks is amazing. The stage has been transformed for incredible adaptability. Three hundred seats have been eliminated to give better width and legroom for the seats for whose decoration we hear an in joke. And although the theatre opens with Frozen The Musical, Lloyd Webber wants to put on a Shakespeare season once Frozen closes. But that could be years? A statue of Shakespeare is in pole position at the entrance, and eight enormous canvasses on different Shakespeare plays are hung on the grand staircases.
So, yes, it would be amazing to see a Shakespeare play in this theatre. The actors, though, may need mikes. But until that time, I was able to book a tour of the theatre. I shall be there on the very first day the tours open on the 15th September. We need to help Andrew stay solvent.
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwialsTm0f3vAhU0hv0HHWxdBcIQwqsBMAJ6BAgbEAM&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D2VQbrNUU7I4&usg=AOvVaw3qJ1HJTQkkn-x_4QtIlgUj
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