London's West End plans reopening

[Dollypop]

According to Charlie Stemp, MARY POPPINS will resume performances in May.

[BrodyFosse123]

According to Annie Warbucks, the sun WILL come out tomorrow.

[Jordan Catalano]

Cameron Mackintosh has been rolling out reopening plans for all his shows this week, ranging from May - July. The fine print says reopening is dependent on UK lifting social distancing (Stage 5). Tickets for “To Kill a a mockingbird” have been swapped for new dates like they did here for “Music Man”, which I know they’ve been waiting to do until being fairly certain things can proceed. And judging by vaccination rates and population of the UK, it seems that this can happen.

Fingers crossed (especially because I have 21 shows booked for May).

[SouthernCakes]

I know they just shut down so they aren’t reopening until may?

[Jordan Catalano]

Some shows will reopen when they’re off the restrictions they’re under now. But the shows talked about here have been closed since March.

[Princeton2]

This does seem a bit optimistic. So far only about 150,000 have been vaccinated, with a population of over 65million to go and they only ordered a few million of this initial vaccine. It needs to be 4 times quicker to hit the one million target by Xmas (also  these people have only had the first part, with the second part still to be done in January). The majority of orders was for the Oxford vaccine that is still going through tests.

It will be great if it can happen but for social distancing to be gone in 4 to 5 months times just seems a bit of a reach at the moment.

[Jordan Catalano]

It is optimistic, I don’t think anyone would argue with that. But I don’t think they would take this step without taking a hard look at the numbers and vaccine rollout plans. Like with everything else right now, the best we can do is hope for the best.

[Princeton2]

I've just completed the vaccine calculator that give estimate of when you will likely receive your vaccine and it says late June to late September based on the current rate and my personal details (basically normal average person). Obviously its not an exact science but that does seem to be what they're working at. Unfortunately this government doesn't have a great track record with living up to promises so who knows.

[Jordan Catalano]

Princeton, are you in the UK?

[HogansHero]

Jordan Catalano said: "But I don’t think they would take this step without taking a hard look at the numbers and vaccine rollout plans. Like with everything else right now, the best we can do is hope for the best."

"They" don't have any information that you and I don't have, and even epidemiologists can do no more than "hope for the best." I am very optimistic but not for these dates. We are now getting reports of defective vaccines, etc etc. We also know that there are lots of hesitant people. Having herd immunity in May seems wonderful but not realistic to me. Patience my friend. 

[Jordan Catalano]

I know you don’t think anything can happen until 2027 at the earliest but I’m hoping for the best. *shrugs*

[Fosse76]

What defective vaccines? There's been nothing in the news, and my agency hasn't been made aware of anything. Just curious.

[GiantsInTheSky2]

This whole process is just so frustrating.

Stop planning for dates & making timelines when we still don’t know anything yet. This could be over in six months or we could continue to have repeated waves of the virus. I don’t understand why they can’t just wait until things are actually looking good (or we get official green lights from government officials) before setting potential time frames. It just gets people set up for disappointment.

[HogansHero]

Jordan Catalano said: "I know you don’t think anything can happen until 2027 at the earliest but I’m hoping for the best. *shrugs*"

Is hyperbole a covid symptom? Since Spring '20 I have been saying I thought Fall '21. I still am and I am hoping for that ("the best". What the major UK theatre producers have been doing since then is disgraceful. 

@Fosse76 There were reports yesterday (or the day before) that batches of the vaccine sent to California and Alabama had been stored at too cold a temperature and were not being used. I don't think it is a huge problem but it underscores that it is unlikely this is all going to run like clockwork. 

[South Florida]

Hogan's Heroes was a funny show and you always bring some intelligence into this board, but do you know what a dick Bob Crane was?

[HogansHero]

South Florida said: "Hogan'sHeroes was a funny show and you always bring some intelligence into this board, but do you know what a dick Bob Crane was?"

Yes I do. I've actually addressed this before. That pic is of Robert Hogan (also the name of a very fine actor) not Bob Crane. Crane is nobody's hero.