The curtain has come down prematurely on The Wizard Of Oz pantomime in Southport.
The production, at The Atkinson on Lord Street, has been enjoyed by hundreds of families during December.
But after last night’s announcement that Southport, Sefton and the rest of the Liverpool City Region have now been moved up from Tier 2 into Tier 3 ‘Very High Alert’ of the Government’s alert system, the LHK Productions event has now had to be curtailed.
The show starred Dancing on Ice and Hollyoaks star Ray Quinn as the magical Wizard of Oz. Live on stage, the fabulous cast also included the voice of the airwaves, Claire Simmo from BBC Radio Merseyside & Sandgrounder Radio as Glinda The Good Witch, West End star Chris Barton as the Cowardly Lion, the hilarious Lewis Pryor as Scarecrow, the loveable Mia Molloy as Dorothy, Southport’s Tom Burroughs as Tinman and Michael Chapman as The Wicked Witch.
An Atkinson spokesperson said: “Sadly, this means we are unable to continue our Christmas pantomime, The Wizard of Oz, and all performances from 31 December 2020 are now cancelled.
“The Box Office team will be in contact with customers as soon as possible.
“Customers are entitled to a ticket refund, exchange, credit note, or can donate the cost to The Atkinson Development Trust. Information on our refund policy can be found on our website here: theatkinson.co.uk/box-office
“Further information on The Atkinson’s reopening details will be provided in due course. We take the safety and wellbeing of our customers and staff seriously, and we are closely following advice from the Government and Sefton Council.
“We will continue to champion the enjoyment of arts, culture and heritage, where residents, visitors and communities can be entertained, inspired, continue learning and improve their wellbeing.
“You can keep up to date with our activity by reading our news page, following us on social media and by subscribing to our e-newsletter. We will continue to share ways to get involved, as well as content and stories from our collections and programmes. On our website, you can visit a selection of our exhibitions online in virtual reality.
“For further information on Southport Library please visit the Sefton Libraries website.
“We wish you all the best for the new year and look forward to welcoming you back into The Atkinson once it is safe to resume our programme.
“Thank you for your patience and understanding at this challenging time.
Stay safe.”
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