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Andrew Lloyd Webber has pulled his latest musical out of a government pilot scheme for live events because theatre had been treated as “an afterthought and undervalued”.

The composer’s decision to withdraw his production of Cinderella was “baffling” and left ministers “bemused,” a Whitehall source said on Friday.

The pandemic has had a catastrophic financial impact on the theatre industry and many have remained closed despite the ease in COVID-19 restrictions as it is not financially viable for them to open with reduced capacities.

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The peer, 73, had previously provisionally registered to take part in the plan and earlier this week Boris Johnson said they were having talks and would “do whatever we can to be helpful”.

Earlier on Friday, the prime minister said he was “very confident” lockdown easing could go ahead on 19 July, after the original 21 June date was delayed.

Lord Lloyd Webber said in a statement: “I have made it crystal clear that I would only be able to participate if others were involved and the rest of the industry – theatre and music – were treated equally. This has not been confirmed to me.

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“It has become clear that, while sporting events like Wimbledon had obviously been working with the government for some time on this pilot, and were even able to start selling tickets yesterday, the theatre industry and its audiences is, once again, an afterthought and undervalued.”

He said the production, which is being staged at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, would open on 25 June with the venue up to half-full.

The composer, who quit as a Conservative peer in 2017, previously warned he may have to sell his six West End venues if the government does not relax its restrictions as set out in its roadmap for England.

In addition, he said he would be prepared to be arrested in order to fully reopen his theatres on 21 June if the easing of lockdown restrictions was delayed.

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But on Friday he admitted such a move could leave cast, crew, orchestra, front and backstage staff, and even the audience facing fines of hundreds of pounds each which, he said “I couldn’t possibly risk”.

“If it were just me, I would happily risk arrest and fines to make a stand and lead the live music and theatre industry back to the full capacities we so desperately need.”

He said he would personally bear the losses until he can fully reopen the theatre at maximum capacity.

Cinderella “is the product of hundreds of people’s tireless effort for years”, he said, adding: “Win, lose or draw, we have to continue.”

A government source said: “We are bemused that Andrew Lloyd Webber has decided not to take part in the ERP (Events Research Programme).

“This would have given him the opportunity to have audiences at 100% for Cinderella and at the same time play a crucial part for his sector in the fuller reopening.

“It’s baffling that he’s pulled out and is instead opening his theatre at 50% given all the noise he’s been making about opening fully and threatening to sue.

“It’s completely false that the arts and culture sector hasn’t been part of the ERP programme.

“We tested an array of settings including festivals, club nights, the Brits and the Crucible Theatre and are now in discussions with other theatres as part of the next phase of the programme.”

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Test your knowledge of 2024’s best memes, words and phrases with our quiz

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Test your knowledge of 2024's best memes, words and phrases with our quiz

The past 12 months have been the gift that’s kept on giving when it comes to newly-coined words and phrases entering our lexicon.

But how well do you know the terminology that’s been all over socials in 2024? Can you sort your brats from your clean girls?

Test your knowledge with our quiz below and let us know how you do!

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Dayle Haddon: Former Sports Illustrated model dies of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning

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Dayle Haddon: Former Sports Illustrated model dies of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning

Dayle Haddon – the actor, activist and former Sports Illustrated model – has died from what authorities believe was carbon monoxide poisoning.

Authorities found the 76-year-old dead in a second-floor bedroom on Friday morning after emergency dispatchers were notified about a person unconscious at the house in Solebury Township, Pennsylvania.

A 76-year-old man, later identified as Walter J Blucas, of Erie, is in a critical condition.

Responders detected a high level of carbon monoxide in the property.

Investigators believe the leak was caused by “a faulty flue and exhaust pipe on a gas heating system”.

As a model, Haddon appeared on the covers of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Elle and Esquire in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the 1973 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

She also appeared in about two dozen films from the 1970s to 1990s, including 1994’s Bullets Over Broadway, starring John Cusack.

Haddon (Left) with Angela Merkel and Christine Lagarde (Right) during a meeting of the Gender Equality Advisory Council. Pic: Michael Kappeler/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
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Haddon (left) with Angela Merkel and Christine Lagarde (right) during a meeting of the Gender Equality Advisory Council. Pic: AP

Haddon left modelling after giving birth to her daughter, Ryan, in the mid-1970s, but then had to re-enter the workforce after her husband’s 1991 death.

This time, she found the modelling industry far less friendly: “They said to me, ‘At 38, you’re not viable’,” Haddon told The New York Times in 2003.

Read more on Sky News:
Olivia Hussey, star of 1968 film Romeo and Juliet, dies at 73

Working for an advertising agency, she began reaching out to cosmetic companies, telling them there was a growing market to sell beauty products to aging baby boomers.

She eventually landed a contract with Clairol, followed by Estee Lauder and then L’Oreal, for which she promoted the company’s anti-aging products for more than a decade.

She also hosted beauty segments for CBS’s The Early Show.

In 2008, Haddon founded WomenOne, an organisation aimed at advancing educational opportunities for girls and women in marginalised communities, including in Rwanda, Haiti and Jordan.

Read more on Sky News:
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Haddon’s daughter, Ryan, said in a social media post that her mother was “everyone’s greatest champion. An inspiration to many”.

“A pure heart. A rich inner life. Touching so many lives. A life well lived. Rest in Light, Mom,” she said.

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Olivia Hussey, star of 1968 film Romeo and Juliet, dies at 73

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Olivia Hussey, star of 1968 film Romeo and Juliet, dies at 73

Actress Olivia Hussey, best known for playing Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 production of Romeo and Juliet, has died aged 73.

She died peacefully at her home in California, surrounded by her loved ones on Friday, according to a post shared on her official Instagram account.

The message, posted with a sunset photo of Hussey in her youth, paid tribute to “a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom, and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her”.

It went on: “Olivia lived a life full of passion, love, and dedication to the arts, spirituality, and kindness towards animals”.

Calling her a “truly special soul”, her family said while her “immense loss” was grieved, they would also “celebrate Olivia’s enduring impact on our lives and the industry”.

Born in Buenos Aires in 1951 to an Argentinian father and English mother, Hussey returned to London aged seven with her mother and studied at the Italia Conti Academy drama school.

Spotted by Italian director Zeffirelli in a stage show of The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie opposite Vanessa Redgrave, Hussey’s performance as Juliet aged just 15 made her a star and won her a Golden Globe.

Sixteen-year-old actor Leonard Whiting played her Romeo, with the pair going on to sue Paramount Pictures in 2022 for sexual abuse due to the Oscar-nominated movie’s nude scene.

(L-R) Franco Zeffirelli, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting pictured in 1968. Pic: AP/Eustache Cardenas
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(L-R) Franco Zeffirelli, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting in 1968. Pic: AP/Eustache Cardenas

The case was dismissed by a judge the following year.

Hussey would work with Zeffirelli again, playing the Virgin Mary in the 1977 TV miniseries Jesus Of Nazareth.

Appearances in horrors including Black Christmas and Psycho prequel Psycho IV: The Beginning established Hussey as a scream queen over the years.

Other notable appearances included Hercule Poirot movie Death On The Nile and Mother Teresa biography Madre Teresa.

Read more:
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Disabled musicians demand greater inclusivity

Hussey was reunited with Whiting in the 2015 British film Social Suicide, which was loosely based on Shakespeare‘s Romeo and Juliet.

Her daughter, actress India Eisley, played her on-screen daughter in the movie.

It was Hussey’s final screen role, according to IMDB.

Hussey leaves behind three children, Alex, Max, and India, her husband of 35 years David Glen Eisley, and grandson, Greyson.

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