Omicron: Half of West End theatres hit by Covid cancellations at weekend

Almost half of London's major theatres were forced to cancel performances this weekend because of Covid infections, as Omicron plays havoc with live events.

Of the 46 full members of the Society of London Theatre that have shows on, 22 scrapped performances.

They included Hamilton, Matilda, Wicked, The Lion King, Cinderella, Cabaret and Come From Away.

Some have cleared their schedules until after Christmas or New Year to allow those affected to recover and isolate.

The musicals The Book of Mormon, Dear Evan Hansen and Come From Away are all suspended until 27 December, with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time off until 29 December.

Shakespeare's Globe's Measure For Measure will not return until 4 January, and the curtain will stay down on the National Theatre's festive show Hex 5 until January.

There have also been numerous cancellations elsewhere in the country, with performances of Six and The Book of Mormon called off at the Lowry in Salford and the Palace Theatre in Manchester respectively.

In Leeds, Bedknobs and Broomsticks could not take flight over the weekend at the Grand Theatre, and Wendy & Peter Pan succumbed at Leeds Playhouse.

There was no White Christmas at the Edinburgh Playhouse on Saturday or Sunday, while Newcastle Theatre Royal has been forced to call off its pantomime, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, on Monday and Tuesday.

Meanwhile, many theatre fans have cancelled their own trips or put off buying tickets because of the renewed concerns about Covid, or to reduce the risk of having to isolate over Christmas if they are infected.

Last week, arts union Equity called on Chancellor Rishi Sunak to take action to protect workers in the creative industries.

"This worrying situation threatens the fragile return of live performance in theatres, pubs, clubs and other venues across a critical Christmas season," general secretary Paul Fleming wrote.

Theatre producer David Pugh, whose Price and Prejudice (Sort Of) has stayed on stage in the West End, summed up his feelings on Twitter.

Stephanie Sirr, chief executive of the Nottingham Playhouse and president of UK Theatre, told BBC Breakfast: "Christmas for all theatres is the time when they make most of their money.

"It's when you can guarantee you're going to have a certain level of income, and a lot of theatres are charities. So yes it is concerning when your main earning period is under threat."

Shows currently unaffected in the West End include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Back to the Future, Frozen, Pretty Woman, The Shark Is Broken and The Drifters Girl.