Andrew Lloyd Webber appeared to jokingly share a Covid-19 conspiracy theory on stage as his musical Cinderella reopened for the first time in months.
Lloyd Webber and Emerald Fennell’s modern take on the classic fairytale – which stars Carrie Hope Fletcher as the titular princess – opened in August after lengthy delays due to Covid-19.
However, the show was forced to shut in December alongside many other theatres as the Omicron variant spread across the UK.
Cinderella finally returned to the Gillian Lynne Theatre on Thursday (3 February) night, with Lloyd Webber personally opening the show with a speech in which he said that he and the cast were “overjoyed” to be back.
The composer said that the show’s initial rehearsal period had been made difficult due to mask wearing and that the break had allowed them to make changes to the show.
“People often think, why would somebody like myself close a show and reopen like this tonight?” Lloyd Webber said. “The reason is that when we had the Omicron and we had the Delta variant hit us… everyone in the cast was worried, a lot of us were getting the virus again.
“I just thought, we can’t go on somehow just giving vague performances, that it’d be far better for us to regroup when we really knew we could give you the show that I think you as the audience deserve. I think that’s incredibly important.”
The comments prompted cheers from the audience, with Lloyd Webber then saying: “Many of you will know the answer to this one, but what is the anagram of ‘Omicron’ and ‘Delta’? Media control.”
The clip was shared on Twitter, with Guardian journalist Jonathan Haynes tweeting: “Right at the end, from Andrew Lloyd Webber… ‘What is the anagram of “Omicron” and “Delta”?’ - ‘Media control’.”
The Independent has contacted Lloyd Webber’s representatives for comment.
Lloyd Webber was a vocal critic of the government’s treatment of the arts during the pandemic, initially saying that he would reopen theatres when lockdown was originally scheduled to end in June, even if it meant being arrested.
He has also spoken out in favour of the vaccine and compared those who refuse it to drink-drivers.
