Renovations to theatres cause drop in West End audiences

RENOVATIONS to the West End’s ageing theatres led to a drop in audiences for musicals, new figures have shown.

Across theatreland last year, venues recorded a total of 371 “dark” weeks, when shows were not staged, up from 207 in 2018.

Audiences for musicals fell by nearly 2 per cent to 9.3 million. However, takings were up 3.7 per cent to £522.7million due to rising ticket prices.

The average price paid for a ticket was £52.17 last year, up 5.8 per cent on the previous year.

“Dark” theatres included the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, which closed for extensive refurbishment work – it will reopen this autumn in time for the Frozen musical – and The Sondheim, where Les Miserables has returned after vacating the theatre for several months last year to allow for building work. The Dominion, home to the newly-opened production, The Prince of Egypt, also underwent renovation last year.

Overall, West End attendance figures were down by 1.4 per cent to 15.3 million but gross revenue was up by 4.3 per cent to £799million. Theatres were a record 80 per cent full.

More than five million tickets were available at £40 and under, with 1.1 per cent priced at £150 and above.

Plays saw a rise of nearly 3 per cent in audience numbers, with hits including Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, starring Tom Hiddleston, and Noel Coward’s Present Laughter, which featured Andrew Scott. Attendance for opera and dance were down by 8.4 per cent to 1.7 million.

The figures were published by the Society of London Theatres (SOLT).

Kenny Wax, president of SOLT, said: “These figures demonstrate the buoyancy of London’s theatre industry and the city’s status as the world’s leading theatre destination. Our major theatre owners and producers continue to present world class work, while investing in their historic venues to give audiences the best possible experience.”