Published on : 03/15/2020 – 13:36Modified : 03/15/2020 – 13:32
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London (AFP)
“We can’t always stay at home. But I have my wipes and my disinfectant gel!” Jokes John a little nervously, before going to see “Tina”. In London’s theater district, fans of musicals are still there, despite fear of the coronavirus.
This Friday evening, the West End remains very lively. Many fans of “music”, who have reserved places often very expensive weeks in advance, are not ready to give up a memorable evening.
“I trust what the authorities and the scientists say and they decided to keep the theaters open,” says a septuagenarian who came to see the show dedicated to his idol, the “tigress” of rock Tina Turner, with his wife, adorned with glitter, to celebrate their fifty years of marriage.
Margaret, elegant with her baggy beige and black blouse, and her husband are from Northern Ireland and visiting London for the weekend: tickets for “Tina” were their Christmas present.
A few dozen meters away, in front of the Lyceum theater with its heavy Greek colonnades, people line up for “The Lion King”, an international hit. A dozen people hug all smiles for a family photo around a young woman who carries a balloon “30 years!”.
Alyzée Ganiou, a 27-year-old project manager, nervously taps on her phone while waiting for a late friend a few minutes before the curtain rises. She just arrived from Lyon.
“I’m not afraid but on the other hand I was afraid that my plane would be canceled, especially after Trump who decided to close the flights” from Europe to the United States, she said.
“If it happens it’s a matter of days before they stop the show here too, so I’m really happy to be there,” she adds before running to her friend who arrives.
Abby, who came with her excited son, is a bit pale. “On the train I kept telling her + don’t touch anything +”, she says, anxious at the idea of being trapped in a room with dozens, even hundreds of people, in the middle of a pandemic of coronavirus.
– Neither backstage nor autographs –
To reassure, West End theaters have installed disinfectant gel dispensers everywhere. Backstage visits and autograph signatures are prohibited until further notice.
In New York, authorities have closed all Broadway theaters. Festivals like Coachella have been canceled. Elsewhere, closings or limits on the size of gatherings are imposed. Stars like Madonna and British icons The Who canceled performances.
Meanwhile, many tourists, following the authorities’ recommendations to forgo non-essential travel, cancel their travel plans for the coming weeks.
“The impact of the virus could strike a blow at the British music industry (…) It will not only affect those who work directly for the sector” but thousands of indirect jobs, warns the sectoral organization UK Theater in a letter to the Minister of Culture.
As a sign of growing concern, the British chain of cinemas Cineworld, the second in the world, collapsed on the stock market after hinting that a prolonged coronavirus crisis could put it into bankruptcy.
Expected films like the next James Bond or the sequel to the family success “Pierre Lapin” have already seen their release postponed and many operators or studios are tearing their hair out to decide to maintain or postpone their theatrical releases in context current.
It is the same for the launches of new musicals or plays, which represent months or even years of work … with a carryforward of receipts which will not be catchable.
In the meantime, good deals should proliferate on ticket booking sites. And, as Sadler’s Wells Theater noted in a statement, “during times of uncertainty and anxiety, theater can provide a welcome opportunity to cheer up and get away.”
© 2020 AFP
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