Portsmouth theatres given green light to re-open after months of coronavirus lockdown limbo

Leading culture chiefs in the city expressed relief at being able to once again lift the curtain on indoor performances from next month.

But far from giving the government a standing ovation for the move, they have warned live shows may still be months away, with many productions now cancelled until 2021.

The news followed an announcement by prime minister Boris Johnson, in which he sought to ease restrictions and take the next step on the road to post-pandemic recovery.

In a major raft of relaxations, Mr Johnson said most remaining leisure settings, such as bowling alleys, skating rinks, indoor theatres, casinos, and close-contact services such as beauticians could resume from August 1.

Sports stadiums have also been given the green light to open from October, meaning a return for Pompey fans to Fratton Park next season.

Employers, too, are to be allowed more discretion in how and when they bring staff back to workplaces.

And councils are to get greater powers to enforce localised lockdown measures to tackle any spike in cases of Covid-19.

But the new measures have been branded ‘half-baked’ by one city theatre boss, with another warning that shows would be unlikely to resume for months.

Paul Woolf, chief executive of Southsea’s Kings Theatre, in Albert Road, has been demanding answers from the government for months about re-opening.

He said: ‘I’m thrilled there’s a date now. It means we can get up and running and start making proper plans.

‘However, there is a massive “but”. As ever with this government, the plan has been half-baked. They’re not clear on what we can put on stage.

‘While it’s fantastic that they’re obviously now thinking about everything opening, sadly they can’t seem to do everything in one go – it all comes out in bits and pieces.’

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He added many producers had scrapped shows for 2020, leaving theatres struggling to find a way to fill their stages.

‘The tails to the heads of this whole equation has always been around the shows and the government has shown an absolute blind spot to this,’ said Mr Woolf.

‘I and others have been banging this drum and telling them to think about everything to do with theatre, not just the buildings.

‘Telling us we can open in a couple of weeks’ time is just naive given the lack of programming.’

Sheena Hulme, acting chief executive of the New Theatre Royal in Guildhall Walk, warned it would be months until shows could resume.

She said the PM’s announcement was a ‘positive step’ but added: ‘Our industry is one that can’t react really quickly to these situations, there has to be a lead-in time.

‘We haven’t got any shows left in September, they’ve all been moved to the new year.

‘What producers and promoters are still nervous of is the prospect of another lockdown, which could see cities locked down for two weeks. That could happen at any time.’

Speaking during a press conference in Downing Street, the prime minister said he hoped the country would return to a sense of normality ‘possibly in time for Christmas’.

But he warned the plan ‘remains conditional’ on the UK pulling together to win its ‘long fight’ against coronavirus.

‘It is my strong and sincere hope that we will be able to review the outstanding restrictions and allow a more significant return to normality from November at the earliest – possibly in time for Christmas,’ he said.

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