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The theatre, known as The Lane, boasts a
revamped auditorium, swanky staircases, a champagne bar inspired
by the Pantheon in Rome, an all-day dining area as well as a
cocktail bar named after society photographer Cecil Beaton.
Composer Lloyd Webber, a veteran of London's West End, bought
the theatre in 2019 and embarked on the 60-million-pounds
($82-million) restoration project, aimed at honouring the
building's history, with his wife Madeleine.
Situated in central London's Covent Garden, the venue is
described as "the oldest theatre site in continuous use in the
world", active since the 17th century.
"The task of restoring the Theatre Royal was threefold. How to
reinstate (architect Benjamin Dean) Wyatt’s glorious 'front of
house' rooms, how to fix the 1922 auditorium and, third, how to
make this extraordinary building a versatile, vibrant heart of
the artistic soul of Covent Garden," Lloyd Webber said in a
statement.
"The restoration of the Theatre Royal, uniting my two great
passions of theatre and architecture, has been a colossal task
rendered very difficult by the covid pandemic. It simply would
have ground to a halt without the dedication of our
extraordinary craftsmen and the team overseeing the project in,
at times, almost impossible circumstances."
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla officially opened the
theatre last month. Its ground floor opens to the public on
Friday while "Frozen The Musical" is scheduled to open at the
theatre in late August.
On Monday, Lloyd Webber, the man behind musicals like "The
Phantom of the Opera" and "Cats", cancelled the opening of his
new London production "Cinderella" after a cast member tested
positive for COVID-19. The rules around self-isolation for the
rest of the cast, who all tested negative, meant the musical
could not open as planned on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Mike Davidson and Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing
by Janet Lawrence)
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