Theatre News

Update: Shows Offer Exchanges Due to Volcano

| London's West End |

19 April 2010

UPDATED, 20 Apr 2008 @ 14.30: The latest information has now been added to this story. Updates are denoted in bold below.

With flights in and out of London still grounded due to last week’s eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano, ticket agents have reported a significant number of requests for refunds and exchanges.

In the West End, most shows are offering customers the option of exchanging their tickets for a future date, though with no confirmation of when flights will be operating again, this has proved difficult.

A ticket agency representative told Whatsonstage.com they have been receiving “a large number of calls” related to the incident, and confirmed that some shows – particularly those with limited runs – are not offering exchanges or refunds. Predictably, musicals have generally been affected more than plays due to their increased reliance on tourists.

“The producers decide whether to offer exchanges” he said. “Mostly in the case of long-running musicals, this isn’t a problem. But some plays which are only running for a few more days – such as Jerusalem – are unable to offer this.”

He confirmed that West End shows offering exchanges include: Dirty Dancing, Stomp, Love Never Dies, Chicago, The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, 39 Steps, We Will Rock You, Oliver!, Woman in Black, Hair, Lion King, Priscilla, Enron, The Real Thing, Sister Act, Grease and Jersey Boys.

Others, including Blood Brothers, are offering to resell tickets (though this is not guaranteed), while shows such as Jerusalem, Private Lives and Grumpy Old Women 2 are not offering the option of refunds or exchanges due to limited runs.

Affected ticket holders are advised to check with the point of sale to find out whether refunds, exchanges or resales are available.

Elsewhere, performances have been affected in other ways by the transport limitations. According to a press release, principal cast members Peter Amory and Rebecca Bainbridge of the touring production of Hi-De-Hi! have been left “stranded on two different continents” by the volcanic ash after going away during a week-long break in the schedule.

Cabaret show A Night in Wonderland is in a “small dilemma” as a result of the volcanic ash cloud. The show, which features Charlotte Wakefield (Spring Awakening), Chloe Hart (Hairspray) and Jeremy Legat (Wicked) is due to open in Brighton on Sunday, but Hart is now stuck in New York.

The actress said: “I saw on the news that our carrier are resuming flights on Friday which would obviously mean we would be back sometime Friday or Saturday, but due to the back log of stranded passengers we may not be back until Sunday or later. This would be awful.”

Tom O’Connell, the show’s producer, added: “I am obviously frustrated with the situation and I know a number of people who would be disappointed to not see Chloe perform on Sunday. However, we have contacted a number of West End stars including the original Tracy from Hairspray, Leanne Jones, and various other West End leading ladies, so we are covered if Chloe doesn’t make it back. The show must go on – whatever the outcome!”