Exclusive | Hit West End musical Matilda postpones Hong Kong dates amid fears for safety and well-being of cast as protests continue
- The show, based on the children’s classic by Roald Dahl, was set to run for a month from September 20 at Lyric Theatre in Wan Chai
- Theatre company cannot guarantee safety and well-being of cast, boss says, while revealing civil unrest has decimated ticket sales
Multi-award-winning musical Matilda, which is set to open in Hong Kong next Friday, will postpone its forthcoming performances in the protest-stricken city, the Post learned on Thursday.
The musical, which premiered in London’s West End and was inspired by the classic children’s book of the same name by British writer Roald Dahl, was set to run in the Lyric Theatre at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in Wan Chai for a month from September 20, having earlier extended its planned run by two weeks.
A source said the cast and crew would not be travelling to Hong Kong after September shows in mainland China.
The show was originally expected to come to Hong Kong for a month before continuing the tour on the mainland in November.
Performances in Sri Lanka were also postponed from June to next year after a series of bombings in the country in April.
On Thursday afternoon, HK Ticketing’s website stated that tickets to the event were no longer on sale, but earlier in the day several shows had been shown as not sold out.
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s musical features an original score by Tim Minchin, a script by Dennis Kelly, and is directed by Matthew Warchus.
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It tells the story of an extraordinary little girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and challenge those above her, changing her own destiny.
Presenters Lunchbox Theatrical Productions later in the day confirmed the postponement of the shows in Hong Kong.
James Cundall, CEO of Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, said: “Sadly the 14 weeks of civil unrest in Hong Kong have decimated ticket sales, and more importantly we cannot guarantee the safety and well-being of our international company, which comprises a large number of young children.
“I realise this will come as a great disappointment to those who have purchased tickets, and we very much hope to bring this superb show to Hong Kong next year.”
The company said refund procedures would be announced shortly.
The performance venue is located in one of the neighbourhoods that have been heaviest hit as anti-government protesters have taken to the streets since June, sparked by the now-abandoned extradition bill. Hong Kong International Airport on Lantau Island has become a venue for demonstrations in recent months.
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The legislation would have allowed the transfer of criminal suspects to jurisdictions the city lacked an extradition agreement with, including mainland China, where many fear there is no guarantee of a fair trial.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s promise to withdraw the unpopular bill has done little to dampen the flames of popular outrage, with demonstrators demanding accountability for what they believe was excessive use of force by police in handling the protests, and genuine universal suffrage in the election of the chief executive.
