AS THE old adage goes, the show must go on. And while Newbury’s Watermill Theatre will be forced to close on Saturday as a result of the Tier 3 announcement for Berkshire, audiences will still be able to see its take on A Christmas Carol.
The show, which stars actor-musicians Pete Ashmore and Tilly-Mae Millbrook, had been adapted to be Covid-safe.
To avoid disappointing audiences who had booked to see a new take on Charles Dickens’ classic tale of Scrooge and how he turns his life around, the Watermill is offering the chance to view the show from the comfort of their own home via its on demand service.
Alternatively, people can receive a credit to their account, or a refund.
Although social distancing measures were in place, reducing audience capacity and seeing audiences wear face coverings, all theatres in Berkshire now have to close as long as Tier 3 measures are in place.
The restrictions are in place from 12.01am on Saturday, December 19, through to at least New Year’s Eve – the next review will be on Wednesday, December 30. However, The Watermill is cancelling all performances – the show had been due to be performed until Sunday, January 3.
The Watermill says that its box office team will contact affected ticketholders directly.
Its artistic director, Paul Hart, said: “It’s such a shame to have to cancel performances of A Christmas Carol just two weeks into the run. It’s such a uplifting and beautiful show.
“However, I’m absolutely delighted that we’ve been able to make the show available for audiences to watch online from their homes instead.
“For anyone who’s able to support us and buy a ticket via our website we’d be incredibly grateful and I take some comfort from the fact that this will allow many to still enjoy some theatre this Christmas.”
The On Demand screening will be available from 7.30pm on Friday, December 18. Tickets cost £10 for three days access, although there are other packages available allowing people to support the theatre.
A subtitled version will also be available to watch from Friday, and an audio described version and schools’ package will be made available in January.
