No performances of The Lord Of The Rings will take place before Saturday 2 June, following an injury to a member of the cast during last night's show. Actor Adam Salter injured his leg early in the show and had to be taken to hospital. Shows today and on Friday have been cancelled in order for the creative team to modify the show's staging to ensure the safety of all performers. Producers are suggesting that ticket holders for these performances contact their point of purchase to arrange a refund or exchange.
A statement issued on the website of Salter's agent allayed fears that the actor had broken his leg.
The Lord Of The Rings, which, at a cost of £12.5million, is the West End's most expensive production, had been previewing at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane since 9 May. Plans for the press night to be held on 19 June have, at this stage, not been disrupted.
The show blends music, dance, acrobatics, stilt-walking, puppetry, illusion and aerial choreography to tell Tolkien's famous story of the quest to destroy a powerful ring and save Middle Earth from the powers of darkness.
The stage adaptation was originally seen in Toronto last year, but has been reworked to improve it for the London run. Among the work carried out at Drury Lane to enable the performance to take place was the installation of a new 45-foot stage that includes three revolves and 17 lifts. Among the cast are Toronto veterans James Loye and Peter Howe as hobbits Frodo and Sam, Jerome Pradon as Aragorn and Laurence Olivier Award winner Laura Michelle Kelly as Elven queen Galadriel.MA