Theatre restoration puts Hamilton on hold
WEST END hip-hop musical Hamilton has had its opening night delayed by two weeks, disappointing thousands of fans who had secured tickets for the early preview performances.
The show is such a cult hit after a sell-out run on Broadway – and a Mike Pence and Donald Trump controversy – that there was intense competition to be first to see it in the UK. But the first 16 shows have been cancelled, and 16,000 ticketholders told they will be given seats later in the run.
Many were left with non-refundable hotel rooms and rail tickets. Some complained they had booked trips from as far afield as the US and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, those who paid up to £200 for tickets to the opening night and subsequent two weeks of performances have been told the shows have been downgraded to previews. Sir Cameron Mackintosh, co-producer, blamed the delay on restoration at the venue, the Victoria Palace Theatre.
“I am, of course, sorry to amend the performance schedule but undertaking a private rebuilding project on this scale in central London has no precedent,” he said. The theatre was built over a 200-year-old drain, the King’s Scholars’ Pond Sewer, making renovation work difficult, he said. That led to delays in work on the heating and plumbing and obtaining the licences required to reopen to the public.
The official opening night is now Dec 21. Although the initial ticket allocation sold out within hours, a number were held in reserve for sale nearer the time and will be offered to those affected. They will be re-seated “early in the run” but there is no guarantee that those who booked front row seats will be given the same. Hamilton has virtually sold out all shows until next June.
Fans vented their fury on social media. “My Hamilton tickets are now useless. This is pretty poor form. We can’t really do another date,” said one. Jeffrey Seller, the producer, said: “We are extremely sorry to disappoint patrons.”
The musical made world headlines last November when Mike Pence, the US vice-president in the New York audience, was booed during an impromptu speech by Brandon Victor Dixon, the show’s lead actor, prompting a critical tweet from Donald Trump.