Leading lights of London’s Theatreland have been “rocked and shocked” by the ceiling collapse at a West End theatre that left dozens of people injured.
Several heard the news as they left the opening night of Stephen Ward, the new musical from Andrew Lloyd Webber. Sir Richard Eyre, the show’s director and a former director of the National Theatre, said the news was “frightening and shocking and disturbing”. “It’s a terrible thing to happen in a theatre,” he told the BBC News website. Musicals star Elaine Paige said the audience at the Aldwych Theatre were “rocked and shocked” to learn what had happened around a mile away. “It was a tragic and shocking thing to hear,” said the actress and broadcaster. “Clearly there’s been a tragedy over there tonight.” Her sentiments were echoed by theatre producer Robert Fox, who said it was “a very shocking thing to happen and incredibly sad”. “I just hope no-one has been killed and that people will be okay,” he told the BBC. Fellow producer Bill Kenwright said he was “shocked” by the news, while choreographer and former Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips said the news was “shocking and surreal”. “My heart goes out to everyone involved,” said comedian Jimmy Carr. Nimax Theatres, the owners of the Shaftesbury Avenue theatre, described the incident there as “shocking and upsetting” and said an
investigation was under way. A spokesman for Lord Lloyd-Webber said he was preparing a statement. A representative from the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) said a statement would also be forthcoming. The incident took place during a performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, an adaptation of the Mark Haddon novel that was originally presented at the National Theatre. Sir Nicholas Hytner, director of the National, was at the Aldwych to see Stephen Ward and left immediately afterwards, as did Nimax Theatres co-owner Nica Burns. In a message on Twitter, Haddon said it had been “horrifying” watching the events unfold and that he was “hugely relieved” there had been no fatalities reported. “I hope that those who were seriously injured are OK,” he continued. “I’m sorry, too, that so many people went through such a terrifying experience.” The actor David Suchet also took to Twitter to express his dismay. “What a tragedy,” he wrote. “My thoughts are with all those who are hurt and injured.” Eyewitnesses heard a “crackling” noise before the collapse at about 20:15 GMT. Theatre-goers left covered in debris and 51 people were taken to hospital. First opened in 1901, the Apollo is a Grade II listed building that seats 775 people across four levels. Additional reporting by BBC entertainment correspondent Tim Masters. –
BBC Entertainment Christie’s India debut auction nets $15m London-based auction house Christie’s has raised more than $15m (£9m) at its first-ever art sale in India, doubling its pre-sale expectations. The top seller at the Mumbai sale was a painting by Indian artist Vasudeo A Gaitonde, which sold for $3.7m – a record for a modern Indian work. The auction house sold a total of 83 art works covering the last 100 years of Indian art at Thursday’s auction.
The sale was part of a Christie’s strategy to attract Asian buyers. Christie’s debut sale in India featured paintings by such Indian masters as Tyeb Mehta, Maqbool Fida Husain, Ram Kumar, Jamini Roy and SH Raza, Rabindranath Tagore, Amrita Sher-Gil and Nandalal Bose. The top selling work was a mustard-hued oil on canvas painting by Gaitonde, India’s leading abstract artist. Tyeb Mehta’s large canvas of Mahisasura – the mythical Hindu demon-king who was half human-half buffalo- was the the second-highest seller, going for $3.1m. “This really is a dream come true and the result was beyond our wildest dreams,” said Hugo Weihe, Christie’s international director of Asian art, who conducted much of the auction. “The market is discerning and understanding of quality and this is the proof.” Many of the works at the auction came from the collection of Kekoo Gandhy, one of the most significant figures in the development of the modern Indian art scene, and his wife Khorsheed Gandhy.By Neil Smith – BBC Environment
