Theatre News

West End stars support Mayor's #LondonIsOpen campaign

Sheridan Smith, Berveley Knight and the cast of ”Harry Potter” are among the stars to show their support

Will Longman
London
Sheridan Smith and the cast of Funny Girl
Sheridan Smith and the cast of Funny Girl
Sheridan Smith and Beverley Knight are among some of the West End stars to show their support for the #LondonIsOpen campaign.

The initiative, led by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, was launched last week to spread the message that London is open for business, following the result of last month's European Union referendum.

This morning, the casts of 38 West End shows including Funny Girl, Harry Potter, and The Bodyguard simultaneously tweeted images of support for the campaign, some of which you can see below.

Theatre attracts an average of more than 36,000 people per night, which is a larger audience than the Premier League, and generates £100m in tax receipts for the Treasury.

Sadiq Khan said: "Few if any other cities can rival London for arts and culture, and our West End shows are an enormous draw for visitors and talent from around the world. Together, we are sending the message, loud and clear, that London is open. We are open to the world’s performers, to businesses, to people and ideas."

Tonight, a number of shows including Impossible, Guys and Dolls and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time will project the #LondonIsOpen logo to their audiences.