The Rock of Ages cast received a standing ovation after kicking off the London leg of their UK tour last week in Wimbledon.
The show, starring Strictly Come Dancing’s Kevin Clifton, had its press night on Tuesday 21 September at the New Wimbledon Theatre.
Professional theatre took a hit during the pandemic with all productions forced to close without a set date to reopen.
After the finale of the performance, Clifton addressed these difficulties in a tribute to the audience.
He said: “As performers we haven’t been able to do our job and entertain you.
“It’s you that we’ve missed, but theatre is well and truly back!”
Since the Government announced the five-stage reopening plan for professional theatre, many shows have been re-opening since 19 July, when so-called Freedom Day took place.
However, shows like Wicked and Les Miserables have not been so lucky and were only just able to open last week, weeks after the 1 August date the government announced in July.
However, with the launch of Rock of Ages, amongst other performances, it does seem as though Clifton was correct, and theatre is back in south west London.
Celebrities attending the event included Jo O’Meara from nostalgic pop band S-Club 7.
She said: “I think it is getting back to normal, we still have a little way to go.
“It is so lovely for theatre to come back with such an amazing show.”
Rock of Ages is touring across the UK until September 2022, tickets are available here.
Click here for a full review of the production.
Featured image credit: Richard Davenport
