A ceiling collapse at London’s Apollo Theatre has been put down to weak and old materials, the BBC has learned.
Seventy-six people were injured when part of the roof came down during a performance of The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night-Time in December. Radio 4’s You and Yours programme has seen an official letter from Westminster City Council that says hessian wadding embedded within the ceiling was getting weaker over time. It says that led to the collapse. The local authority is still carrying out an investigation into exactly what happened, but it has sent out a letter to historic theatres in the West End stating that the hessian wadding – a type of sackcloth – mixed into the plaster of Paris, was becoming progressively weak.The health and safety team at the council is recommending that all suspended ornate ceilings are thoroughly inspected as a matter of urgency. The Apollo is an Edwardian, Grade II listed building, owned by Nimax Theatres. It will re-open on Wednesday with a new show called Let The Right One In, based on the Swedish novel and cult film by John Ajvide Lindqvist. As well as repairs to the ceiling and balcony, the auditorium, front of house and backstage areas have all been refurbished. Before the collapse, repair to stonework and other improvements were
being carried out, funded by a restoration levy added to ticket prices. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “I’m delighted that the Apollo is back with this award-winning production. With over 35,000 people visiting West End productions every night, it’s a sector that is a huge earner for our economy.” Timothy Jones from English Heritage told the You and Yours programme: “It was a terrible shock and I know that the owners were devastated by what happened. It was very, very unfortunate. “There are many, many possibilities about what happened and I hope we get to the bottom of it. But the important thing is that we put all that behind us, and the show will go on.” – BBC Entertainment
