Raising the curtain again: London theatres prepare to re-open a year on

LONDON: In an empty London theatre, producer Nica Burns sits among the once buzzing stalls hoping audiences will soon be back for good to watch live performances.

A year ago, Burns shut the doors to her six theatres, where shows like "Harry Potter And The Cursed Child" and "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" played to crowds in London's West End, as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. Twelve months on, following Prime Minister Boris Johnson's roadmap out of lockdown for England, she is cautiously preparing to re-open them from mid-May.