Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Cinderella’ Pushes Back London Opening Due to “Current Global Circumstances”

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella has pushed its opening at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London’s West End to October. The composer on Thursday released a statement indicating that “current global circumstances” were behind the decision to move the date. 

The production, first announced by The Hollywood Reporter in 2018, was originally set to open this summer. Cinderella will now begin previews Oct. 9, ahead of an Oct. 28 opening, with Carrie Hope Fletcher in the title role.

“The show will go on sale next week as planned, but in the current global circumstances the creative team and I feel that this later opening date is wise,” said Lloyd Webber. “Full scale pre-rehearsals of Cinderella will take place with our leading actors, as planned, throughout this month.”

Concerns over the coronavirus crisis have impacted multiple events across the globe. Organizers for France’s Tommorowland music festival announced Thursday that they were canceling the 2020 winter edition of the event due to health concerns with the spread of COVID-19. In the U.S., Netflix, Apple and other technology and entertainment companies have canceled their plans to attend SXSW, also citing health concerns. 

Cinderella will be directed by Laurence Connor, with choreography from JoAnn Hunter, who previously partnered on Lloyd Webber’s School of Rock at the Gillian Lynne Theatre and the recent sold-out production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium.

The book for the reinvented fairytale is by actress-turned-writer Emerald Fennell, the season two showrunner of Killing Eve, whose feature directing debut, Promising Young Woman, premiered earlier this year at Sundance. Lyrics for the show are by David Zippel, who previously worked with Lloyd Webber on The Woman in White.

Additional casting and creative team on Cinderella are to be announced.