Only a lack of definitive evidence has prevented the first two words of the title being swapped around and the question mark dropped.

Given their culpability and ensuing scandals, it is not surprising that the last government was keen to suppress data regarding the COVID-19 virus. The consequence is that we have very little information regarding ongoing rates of infection and zero legislation or guidance to protect individuals from this pernicious pandemic.

Very occasionally, the media, which seems to be equally keen to avoid stories in this area, will feel obliged to post low profile articles noting that hospitalisations due to COVID are increasing rapidly. That has been apparent for some weeks.

In the teeth of the pandemic, theatres suffered badly due to closures and then financial constraints as some punters could not be lured back for a number of varied but associated reasons. Only a couple of years ago, there was a spate of cancellations when performers and/or backstage staff fell victim and venues had no option but to close down while they recovered. In case anybody had happily imagined that this was now past history, events at the West End production of Macbeth over the last week strongly suggest otherwise.

For several nights from at least Friday 1 November, the producers were obliged to announce that performances at the Harold Pinter Theatre were cancelled and, by Tuesday 5 November, had reopened but with understudies replacing both David Tennant and Cush Jumbo, who should have been on stage portraying Macbeth and his Lady.

To emphasise, there has been no confirmation of the underlying cause beyond the statement “unfortunately, tonight’s performance of Macbeth will be cancelled due to illness within the company.”

We can eliminate the possibility that this is a repeat of the unfortunate accident when Sir Ian McKellen fell off a stage while playing Falstaff, but, while the odds strongly suggest that COVID-19 is the likely culprit, that is not necessarily the case.

COVID is certainly the conclusion reached by Protect the Heart of the Arts, which picked up on angry responses from ticketholders who only found out that the performance last Friday was cancelled two hours before curtain. It won’t be much comfort, but at least those booked for performances over the ensuing few days would have had longer notice in learning that they were to be disappointed.

Charles Waltz, founder of the campaigning organisation, observed that, “COVID is a serious vascular disease requiring extended recovery times” leading to a strong likelihood that this is the underlying cause of the Macbeth disaster. To support his case, he quoted data collected by an American doctor, which showed:

Using the CDC respiratory virus dashboard, I've conducted some analyses of the peak day of the US late-summer COVID wave (Aug 24).

  • 96.5% of positive tests for the big 3 (C19, flu, RSV) were people who had COVID
  • 68.8% of positive tests for the big 8 (C19, flu, RSV, adeno, hcov, mhpv, piv, rv/ev) were people who had COVID

Waltz also attempted to put this production’s situation into a wider context:

The ongoing cancellations reflect broader challenges facing the theatre industry in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A survey by Theatre Washington reported that while 58 percent of Washington, DC, theatre patrons once attended performances six or more times per year, only 31 percent have done so since reopening. Almost half of patrons surveyed now attend just three times or fewer, and nearly 68 percent cited fear of COVID-19 exposure as a primary reason for staying away.

The latest disaster affecting “the Scottish play”, a mine of superstition at the best of times, might be the catalyst required to bring the ongoing consequences of the pandemic back into the limelight.

There is no question that large numbers of former theatregoers have dropped off the radar. Regrettably, some will have passed away, others still suffer from long COVID almost 5 years after originally contracting the virus, while more may just not want to take their chances of sitting in an enclosed space with several hundred people, almost none wearing masks, when the risk of infection is completely unknown due to lack of information.

Protect the Heart of the Arts has generously offered to help out by donating a HEPA air purification system to the Harold Pinter Theatre, claiming that this would improve air quality and may help to reduce health risks for all involved.

If nothing else, one might have thought that any responsible government would provide some basic advice in connection with the prevalence of COVID-19, both to minimise the spread of the disease and limit future pressure on the NHS from those who require hospitalisation or might otherwise have contracted long COVID.

The most basic protection would be to advise anyone feeling unwell to remain at home until they had recovered. Recommending the use of masks by those who might be suffering, COVID testing and offering free test kits might not be too much of a stretch either.

Until then, theatre workers are at risk and theatregoers will continue to face disappointment, often at very short notice.