Sylvia at the Old Vic turns first preview into dress rehearsal

Brand new musical Sylvia, which opens at the Old Vic this month, has cancelled its first preview performance and replaced it with a dress rehearsal.

In an email to this evening's ticket holders Old Vic artistic director Matthew Warchus wrote: "As is often the case with new musicals, due to the scale of the endeavour, the production process has taken longer than planned and we are writing to let you know that tonight's first preview has unfortunately had to be cancelled.

"This evening will instead become a dress rehearsal, which would not normally be public. However, as compensation for disrupting your plans at the last minute and to mitigate any disappointment, we would like to invite you to attend the dress rehearsal tonight in addition to offering you a refund."

Ticket holders are still able to attend this evening, with Warchus going on to say "we hope you will enjoy sharing this (usually private) ride with the company" and that "there will likely be some interruptions but the aim is to present the show in full".

Any ticket holders for this evening's performance are advised to contact the Old Vic box office to confirm their plans or to reschedule their attendance date.

It was also announced last week that the show's press night would be put back from the 11 September to 17 September, "to allow more time to work on and nurture this ambitious new piece of work".

Cancelling previews is not uncommon – Groundhog Day cancelled three previews before opening at the same venue in 2016 (and then had its first Broadway preview halted by technical issues) while Hamilton had to delay its opening night by two weeks in December.

The eagerly anticipated musical, directed and choreographed by Kate Prince and starring Beverley Knight, Genesis Lynea and Izuka Hoyle, combines dance, hip-hop, soul and funk to tell the story of the women's suffrage movement.