The start date of Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Zippel, and Emerald Fennell’s Cinderella musical has been pushed back to March 19, 2021, at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London. Performances were originally slated to begin in September of this year and were then pushed to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Opening night is now set for April 7.
"My teams have been working throughout lockdown to prepare the show and are raring to go, but there are key elements, not least casting and the building of sets and costumes, that take months of forward planning and can only start as we get further down the road to normal," said Lloyd Webber.
Cinderella stars Carrie Hope Fletcher (Heathers, Les Misérables) in the title role and Olivier nominee Victoria Hamilton-Barritt (Murder Ballad) as the Stepmother, with Laurence Connor (Miss Saigon) directing.
Connor and Webber have collaborated before, with Connor helming the recent revival (and upcoming postponed summer engagement) of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and School of Rock.
Cinderella features an updated story and book by Fennell (Killing Eve, Promising Young Woman) with lyrics by Zippel (City of Angels). Also attached to the project is choreographer JoAnn Hunter (Disaster!, School of Rock). Additional members of the cast and creative team will be announced at a later date.
The West End is currently closed through at least August 2, though several productions have already announced later re-opening dates.