On the 23rd July, I was very lucky to be able to take a trip down the London Palladium as an audience member to trial the new social distancing measures to see if there is a chance for theatres to reopen despite the current pandemic. It was an emotional trip, the first trip to a theatre for me and everyone else there since March. Not only that, this summer I was planning on spending a lot of time at the Palladium for the Joseph musical run, so it was a very surreal, emotional and overwhelming experience.
Despite all this, there was a strong feeling of hope in the air. This may have been a trial, but it meant there was hope that this isn’t the end of theatres. The arts may have been somewhat forgotten about the during this time, but this was a chance to see the realistic possibilities for theatres re opening. I wrote a piece about this experience – originally intended for Dress Circle Antics – and I decided to share it here as well. I truly hope this trial sets the wheels in motions, for re opening, for support for the arts…for something. Anything.
Test and trace, temperature checks on the way in, a mist walkthrough, hand sanitiser dotted about everywhere, and seats socially distanced throughout the whole auditorium. These are the new measures Andrew Lloyd Webber trialed today in a one off show at the London Palladium. Audience members were invited to come and trial these measures and enjoy the ever fantastic Beverly Knight. With her phenomenal voice and a clear love for performing, Beverly Knight was a perfect choice for the first steps in getting theatre back. The organisation and carry through of the safety measures are fantastic, and whilst a large majority of shows are announcing they will not be returning until 2021, the measures tried out today could assist shows upon their re-opening, whenever that may be.
The energy in the theatre was palpable, with audience members clearly being highly delighted at being able to re-enter a theatre after at least 4 months; their enthusiasm was clear when a never ending applause broke out simply at the sight of Andrew Lloyd Webber. In his words, “theatre is [his] life, as it is with so many audience members, then and as soon as Beverly Knight came on stage and started singing, audience members were quick to show their love by cheering, applauding and jumping to their feet to show their appreciation. Whilst the social distancing measures feel strange, with entire rows empty and two seats between booking groups to ensure social distancing, and the rule of wearing masks at all times except eating and drinking, this didn’t dampen theatre fans’ spirits and the love for the arts is still very much there. Whilst this was only a trial, as was said by Beverly Knight herself, this was very much theatre history in the making and theatre will be back. The closest thing to hope theatre fans have had in a while, this trial show could be the thing that kick starts action into getting the arts back on their feet. Clearly this had all been meticulously planned out, by people who love and have built lives around theatre so with all the best interests and intentions to show that as life slowly goes back to normal, theatre does not have to be left behind and there can very much be a future for it. The audiences rushing to their feet at the end of the show and the cheering and clapping carrying on and on, it was clear that this was something everyone has missed, and with the trial show and measures being tested underway, it may not be as long and hopeless wait for the return of theatre as people once thought. This wasn’t just a trial for theatres re-opening…it was a glimmer of hope in what has been a dark time for a lot of us.
One Show at a Time 