The mere mention of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s name was met with jeers and boos as the curtain came down on his Cinderella musical.
Last month, it was announced the show’s final performance would take place on Sunday 12 June, with the production team being met with criticism after some members of the team – including actors who were poised to join the cast – discovered the news of its closure on social media.
The curtain came down on Cinderella for good on Sunday, and while Andrew was not there in person, his presence was certainly still felt.
Director Laurence Connor read out a speech from the Phantom Of The Opera creator after the show.
The speech read: “I am hugely sorry not to be able to be with you today, but I want to thank everyone from our fabulous cast, crew and musicians, the superb creative team, Laurence.
“I keep thinking if only we had opened three months later, we wouldn’t have had to postpone our opening twice because of Covid – I promise you we would have been here for a very long time to come.
“My huge thanks to everyone. We kept the government’s feet to the flames and led the charge to the West End opening again. It might have been a costly mistake, but I am proud of what we did and will forever be grateful to everyone who supported me.
“Cinderella got some of the best reviews of my career and I am immensely proud of it and it’s hugely due to you all. All my love, Andrew.”
The speech was then met with boos and jeers, with Variety reporting that his name had already been met with a similar reaction from the audience when it was brought up earlier in the curtain call.
The following afternoon, Andrew Lloyd Webber clarified his “costly mistake” remark in a statement posted on his social media accounts.
“I am devastated to have been reported to have said that my beloved production of Cinderella was a ‘costly mistake’,” he wrote. “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 our 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.”
He added: “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.”
The Cinderella premiere took place in August last year, having been scheduled for the previous month but delayed due to Covid isolation protocols.
Cinderella opened with an audience capacity of 50% after the impresario rejected prime minister Boris Johnson’s offer for the show to be included in the coronavirus live events pilot scheme.
Then in December, Cinderella was stopped due to “Covid-related absences”, alongside London productions of hit musicals Hamilton and The Lion King.
At the time, Andrew said he’d found it “simply heartbreaking” to see the theatre industry “decimated” by cancellations, adding “no-one in the government listens”.
He postponed Cinderella until 2022 “to avoid more disruption” as the number of Covid-19 cases increased across the country.
Written by Oscar winner Emerald Fennell, and starring Carrie Hope Fletcher in the lead role, Cinderella is described as a “complete reinvention” of the classic fairytale, and is based on an original idea by the Promising Young Woman director.
This article has been updated to include a comment from Andrew Lloyd Webber.