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Despite the pandemic, the West End’s line-up has been fairly stable for the last few years, with little in the way of high-profile closures. Of the five major musicals that opened in the autumn of 2021, only Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ill-starred ‘Cinderella’ has failed to go the distance, while the only older musical to bow out during this time was ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ (which is supposed to be coming back), plus ‘Dear Evan Hanson’ is due to wrap up in October.
In the oblique world of West End finances – Broadway shows are forced to post their exact takings, West End ones aren’t – this period of stability could mean several things, not least that there’s a dearth of big shows ready to replace old ones that are running out of steam.
But now it’s all change as two big musicals have announced January closing dates: wistful Canadian folk opera ‘Come from Away’ will close at the Phoenix Theatre on January 7 after 1,048 performances (having opened in 2019), while Cameron Mackintosh’s latest revival of ‘Mary Poppins’ will shut up shop at the Prince Edward Theatre just one day later, on January 8, having played a similar number of shows (we only got the stats from ‘Come from Away’).
It’s sad news for the casts and fans of those shows, but both go out on a high with final extensions and lengthy West End runs to their names.
It’s also part of the circle of West End life: if shows can’t vacate theatres, new shows can’t come in, and that’s sadly all there is to it. A transfer of the hit Broadway Alanis Morrisette musical ‘Jagged Little Pill’ was announced ages ago, but it still doesn’t officially have a theatre; meanwhile the RSC’s Studio Ghibli adaptation ‘My Neighbour Totoro’ is basically a hit already and will need a big theatre to move to when it’s time at the Barbican is up, while the Young Vic’s superb ‘Oklahoma!’ is widely tipped for a move. So yes, two doors are closing; but expect two more to open pretty sharpish.