Musical interlude: London stage creeps back to life

A member of staff checks the temperature of theatregoers as a precaution against the transmission of the coronavirus upon their arrival ahead of a performance of Sleepless the Musical at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre in London. Claire Hutton is excited about stepping foot in a theatre for the first time since the coronavirus brought the curtain down on live shows in London in March.

A member of staff scans tickets with staff and guests. "I missed it," she admitted, as she waited to watch the musical "Sleepless", the first major production launched in the British capital since restrictions were partially lifted.

Theatregoers sit keeping a social distance. "I missed the whole experience, even the meal before the show, going to the stage door after the show," the 36-year-old told AFP.

For self-confessed "massive theatre fans" like Hutton, who was wearing a T-shirt with the slogan "The Show Must Go On", the six-month wait to see live performances has been hard. But measures to keep audiences safe aren't a deterrent.

At the Troubadour, in Wembley Park, northwest London, on Thursday night, theatre-goers had their temperatures taken and were told to wear face masks throughout the performance.

Most British theatres are still closed but the pop-up venue in the shadow of the colourful landmark arch of the national stadium has been able to adapt to social distancing rules.

Its 1,200 capacity has been cut to 400 seats, and a one-way route has been put in place along with hand-washing and disinfecting facilities.

The audience didn't seem to mind. "For a couple of hours, it's OK," said Joe Spiteri about the mask requirements. "Then it goes itchy," he added.

Precautions are taken backstage too. Every day, the production team has a saliva test to determine if they have the virus. Results come back within 45 minutes.

"We're doing more than anyone else to keep people safe within the venue," said Rowley Gregg (pictured), chief operations officer of Troubadour Theatres.

"We're the only major theatre performance that is putting on a show of this size. You may see that there's other performances with one individual on stage. But for this, it's a full-on production with 20 to 25 cast members," said Gregg.

Gregg conceded that an ideal situation would be to have more numbers to help profit margins but said it was a vital step "to prove... that there is light at the end of the tunnel".

Theatregoers sit keeping a social distance as a precaution.

A member of staff checks the temperature of theatregoers as a precaution.