'The Phantom of the Opera' to reopen in the West End in June 2021

With the positive news about the Covid-19 vaccine, Andrew Lloyd Webber announced that the West End production of The Phantom of the Opera would reopen at the start of the summer.

UPDATE: New information added 1 February. 

The Phantom of the Opera is no longer just inside your mind. The West End hit will reopen in early June 2021 at Her Majesty's Theatre, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and producer Cameron Mackintosh announced on Friday. Tickets are onsale from today for performances started from 5 June. Killian Donnelly will star as the Phantom. 

In an interview with The Telegraph, Webber said that the news that the Pfizer vaccine is approved in the UK helped lead to this decision. Donnelly will perform "Music of the Night" from the show on Strictly Come Dancing's "It Takes Two" series on Friday night, with Lloyd Webber on the panel. 

Webber also said that his new adaptation of Cinderella will open as planned at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in May 2021. "I decided on that date based on the information I had about six weeks ago, and I was pretty sure it would work. Certainly, the Oxford vaccine can be rolled out by then in some quantity. I'm absolutely sure we can open then," he told The Telegraph. The musical stars Carrie Hope Fletcher in the titular role. 

In an interview with BBC Radio 2, Webber spoke of The Phantom of the Opera's London return. He said: "It's going to be when it comes back, better than ever. We've been able to do things to the theatre to make it even more Phantom-like." You can listen to the interview here.