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Tear Down West End Playhouses???

Date: 27 February 2004

Andrew Lloyd Webber has suggested that some of the West End�s 40 listed theatres should be demolished. Speaking yesterday in a House of Lords debate about the recent Theatres Trust report, which estimated that a minimum of �250 million would need to be invested in West End restorations, Lloyd Webber asked: �Would it not be better if we did not stay on the heritage side here and said, for once, we will actually allow a new development? Let�s keep the best buildings but think about the future of the playhouses.� As an example, he singled out Shaftesbury Avenue�s Apollo, one of more than a dozen West End venues owned or managed by his own Really Useful company. Despite a beautiful interior, �you can see practically nothing from most places� in the Apollo, said Lloyd Webber.

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