Cameron Mackintosh Reveals He is Shutting Down PHANTOM in London and UK Tour; Pushes For Theatres to Re-Open Without Social Distancing

Cameron Mackintosh penned a piece for the Evening Standard, about his concerns for the future of the theatre industry.

He said that last week, he had to downsize his organization to ensure the company's survival, and that one show already has not survived.

"On top of this, Andrew [Lloyd Webber] and I have had to sadly permanently shut down our London and UK touring productions of The Phantom of the Opera, but are determined to bring it back to London in the future," Mackintosh revealed.

He expressed concern about the future of New York and London without their theatre industries.

"For the first time ever there are very few new shows waiting in the wings to replace the shows that fail," he writes. "The creative supply line has been ruptured for least 18 months. London and New York can't properly function until theatres reopen."

Mackintosh is calling on Boris Johnson to allow the theatres to reopen without social distancing, something he says he has been "opposed to from the outset."

"Theatres aren't meant to be dark, so please, Boris: 'Curtain up, light the lights, we have nothing to hit but the heights'," he writes. "We are all raring to go back to work. But we need the money to survive and a realistic period of time to plan wisely so that the curtain stays up once we reopen. We are fed up of no business, we want to be back in show business."

Read Mackintosh's full piece on Evening Standard.