Ceiling collapse prompts safety checks at historic London theaters
Print Edition
Historic theaters in London’s West End were undergoing checks yesterday after the ceiling of one collapsed, injuring dozens and raising fears about safety at some of the world’s oldest and most elegant playhouses.
Up to 90 people were injured, seven seriously, after a section of ornate plaster ceiling measuring about 10 meters by 10 meters fell onto the audience at the 112-year-old Apollo Theatre during an evening performance on Thursday.
Some of the 720-strong audience watching the popular play “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” spoke of panic and screams as the ceiling collapsed, filling the theater with dust as they rushed for the exits.
It was the worst accident in London’s main theater district in 40 years, since part of a ceiling at the Shaftesbury Theatre fell in 1973, forcing the closure of the long-running musical “Hair.” The Shaftesbury opened in 1911.
London Mayor Boris Johnson said investigations into the cause of the ceiling collapse at the Apollo were continuing. Westminster City Council and the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) had assured him that safety checks were up-to-date at all the West End’s 30 or so theaters.
“But, as a precaution, further checks have already started and will continue throughout the day,” Johnson said.
Some of the theaters date back to the 19th century and feature plush red velvet seating, ornate plaster ceilings, massive chandeliers and royal boxes.
An SOLT spokesman said all major theater owners met yesterday and confirmed their safety inspections and certificates were current, adding that such incidents were extremely rare. “(They) will cooperate fully with the authorities to reassure the public that their theaters are safe,” the spokesman said.
While the Apollo, situated in Shaftesbury Avenue in the heart of the West End, will be closed this weekend, all other London theaters will remain open for business.
London’s West End is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious theater districts, rivaling New York’s Broadway and entertaining over 32,000 people in London every night, including many tourists. Annual attendances total 14 million.
SOLT estimates the 52 major theaters and countless smaller venues account for about 41,000 jobs in the capital, bringing in US$3.2 billion a year.
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