Work on Theatre Royal Drury Lane renovation stops – Frozen expected to open as usual

Work on restoring Theatre Royal Drury Lane and construction at the Gillian Lynne Theatres has ceased while the coronavirus outbreak continues, a spokesperson at operator LWTheatres has confirmed.

In a statement released yesterday the company said: "Construction on the restoration project at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane ceased today, apart from essential electrical safety work and security. Construction was also ceased at the Gillian Lynne Theatre."

The company has followed up by confirming that the temporary halting of the renovation work should not affect any of the shows scheduled to open this autumn (Disney's Frozen at Drury Lane and Cinderella at the Gillian Lynne): "At this point, there is no indication that pausing our work on either theatre will impact on the current projects. Of course, this is a fast-changing situation that we continue to monitor all the time."

The work on Drury Lane, which started in January 2019 will provide a choice of proscenium arch or in-the-round configuration for performances. Access improvements include a new street level entrance, ramps to the stalls and new accessible toilets. There will also be a 16 person passenger lift which goes to each level of the theatre. Twenty new female cubicles will be installed.