The Stage

Two major touring shows pulled but West End celebrates record box office

Published Tuesday 10 November 2009 at 15:35 by Alistair Smith

Two major regional touring productions have been cut short or postponed, as West End shows boast their best ever box office returns.

A proposed touring version of the West End hit La Cage aux Folles has been indefinitely postponed, while High School Musical 2: Live on Stage has cancelled the last two months of its regional tour.

The first stage outing of High School Musical broke box office records across the UK, however producer Stage Entertainment has admitted that the decision to call off the tour early was taken in the face of falling box office figures.

A spokesperson for Stage Entertainment stressed that the tour would still be playing until February 2010, but added: “We have shortened the tour by seven dates. We’ve projected ahead and looked at it and we thought, all round, it was best to end on a high. It will have been seen by more than a million people by the time the tour finishes, but it is tough out there.

“That said, we’ve got Hairspray and Strictly Come Dancing, and Strictly Come Dancing - The Professionals all going out next year, which the figures are encouraging for. I think it’s just a bit of an up and down time in the regions. But tours extend and contract all the time and the decision was taken to go out on a high and just pull back slightly.”

Producers of La Cage aux Folles, meanwhile, have stressed that their decision to postpone the UK tour - which had been due to launch in early 2010 - had been taken because of “the non-availability of suitable star artists for the particularly challenging lead roles”. However, it is understood that there was also concern over the advance box office at some of the dates where the tour had already gone on sale. Future dates for the tour have not yet been announced.

Meanwhile, in the West End, two productions - Mamma Mia! and Oliver! - have announced they have just recorded their highest ever weeks at the box office. In the week ending October 31, Mamma Mia! took £511,145 - its highest ever box office across its run at both the Prince of Wales and Prince Edward Theatres. Meanwhile, in the same week, Oliver! took £829,383 - the highest recorded by any production at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.