Bristol Hippodrome pantomime starring John Barrowman postponed due to coronavirus
The Bristol Hippodrome has confirmed that this year's Christmas pantomime will not go ahead this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will instead be staged in December 2021 and January 2022.
The production was due to star John Barrowman as the Wicked Queen and the theatre has confirmed that the popular entertainer will still feature in the rescheduled show.
The Hippodrome posted the news on Twitter, saying "We can confirm our 2020 Pantomime is moving to Christmas 2021/22.
"While this is sad news, we are delighted that the show and @JohnBarrowman will return next year! We will be contacting all customers directly and appreciate your patience as we manage all orders and enquiries."
The Bristol Hippodrome is part of the ATG group which says, "Due to the ongoing impact of Covid-19, it is with sadness that we have taken the decision to suspend all pantomime performances at our UK venues until Christmas 2021.
"Following discussions with our producing partners we agreed it was no longer possible for us to deliver the planned performances this year. We know you will have been looking forward to seeing the show and we apologise for the disappointment and inconvenience this will cause.
“We’re pleased to confirm all performances will be rescheduled to Christmas 2021.”
ATG has also suspended all performances until 27 November 2020 "as a result of ongoing social distancing restrictions”.
The news comes as it is announced that John Barrowman will again be on the judging panel for the tenth series of ITV's Dancing on Ice, which returns in the New Year.
In June 2020, the star told Good Morning Britain that many theatres rely on the revenue from Christmas shows to survive. He warned that, if they are cancelled, "70% of theatres around the UK are going to be gone".
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