VIDEO: Andrew Lloyd Webber Weighs in on the Return of Live Theatre and When CINDERELLA Might Open

Earlier today, Andrew Lloyd Webber released the first single from his new version of Cinderella, which he is hoping to open in the West End as soon as it is safe to do so. He and the show's star, Carrie Hope Fletcher, stopped by The One Show to day to talk about when that might be.

"I think realistically we are going to open in May [2021]," said Webber. "You can't just say 'We're going to open on May 17th' or something and be absolutely certain, because we don't know when we'll be able to come out of lockdown and go into rehearsals... Everybody's livelihoods in Britain in so many areas depend on us getting back to work."

Carrie Hope Fletcher will play Cinderella in the highly anticipated new production at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. She has starred in Heathers (Theatre Royal Haymarket), The Addams Family (UK Tour), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK Tour), Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre), and most recently played Fantine in Les Miserables at the Sondheim Theatre. She is also a bestselling author and social media personality.

The production, a complete reinvention of the classic fairytale, is based on an original idea by Emerald Fennell, the Emmy Award nominated lead scriptwriter of the second season of international smash hit Killing Eve, with a brand new score from the legendary composer and lyrics by David Zippel.

Cinderella will reunite Andrew Lloyd Webber with director Laurence Connor and choreographer JoAnn M Hunter, who previously worked on the Olivier Award winning international hit School of Rock and the recent, sold out production of Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The London Palladium, which returns to the venue in Summer 21.