One in three West End theatres could be closed as fire risks, the London Fire Brigade has said. They must install fire alarms and improve safety precautions within six months or face closure.
The problem is not with the public areas, where the Brigade is perfectly happy with the precaustions tha are taken, but with the backstage areas, where some theatres rely upon telephones and intercoms to pass on warnings.
Fifteen theatres (which have not been named) have been issued with warnings. Equity has welcomed the brigade's action, claiming that members are working in "desperately sub-standard conditions."
The Sotheby's sales of Sir John Gielgud's effects, aimed at raising money for charity, fetched £1.1m. Among the items sold were his 26-volume set of Shakespeare (some were annotated by Sir John), which brought £21,200, and a bronze bust of him as Hamlet which raised £14,000.