DREAMCOAT NIGHTMARE
Joseph show closes after ONE virus case
IT made a colourful return to the West End – but after just two weeks, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has been forced to close after one member of the production tested positive.
Government guidelines mean the show will be unable to return until August 17, less than three weeks before its run at the London Palladium ends.
The producers said on Sunday: ‘There has been a single positive case of Covid identified within the company and whilst the rest of the cast and backstage team have also since been tested and reported negative tests, the Government’s track and trace regulations now force all close contacts into isolation, resulting in the cancellation of performances.’
They thanked ticketholders for their ‘patience and understanding’ and offered exchanges or refunds. Sir Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production led the way as theatres reopened at full capacity last month, with Jac Yarrow as Joseph, Alexandra Burke as the narrator and Jason Donovan – who played Joseph in the 1991 West End revival – playing Pharaoh.
Donovan shared the news on his Instagram alongside a broken heart emoji and wrote: ‘We’re all GUTTED.’
Covid has also hit other productions, with the Prince of Egypt falling victim to the ‘pingdemic’ for a second time in two months. Its performances were cancelled from July 28 to August 7.
Lord Lloyd-Webber has suffered the same setback with his musical Cinderella after a member of the production tested positive for Covid. The show was cancelled just hours before its opening night on July 19 and will reopen on August 18.