Leicester’s Curve theatre has announced “with great sadness” that its Christmas production of The Wizard of Oz has been postponed until 2021.
Chief executive Chris Stafford and artistic director Nikolai Foster said in a joint statement that, “from casting to building sets and making hundreds of costumes, large-scale productions like The Wizard of Oz take months of preparation.
“As there is currently no certainty as to when Curve and the theatre industry can fully reopen, we are forced to make this decision now.
“We know how much Christmas at Curve means to our audiences, with many people visiting our theatre for the first time, and it’s hard to imagine Leicester without a festive show at Curve.
“Alongside audiences, our thoughts are with the hundreds of freelance actors, musicians, designers, prop makers and production staff who won’t be joining us on the road to Oz this year.
“Although we are devastated, if there is any chance we can get back into our building before the end of the year and create something for you this Christmas, we will do it. It’s going to be a much longer journey to Oz than even Dorothy and her motley crew could have imagined, but it will be well worth it when we are all together at Curve once again.”
The Wizard of Oz has been rescheduled to run from Saturday 27 November 2021 until Saturday 15 January 2022.