Legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is participating in a coronavirus vaccination trial with the hopes that it can contribute toward theatres reopening soon. Scientists are in a race to find a cure or vaccine for COVID-19 and testing has already begun.
Webber has now joined the fight against the virus. The 72-year-old "Phantom of the Opera" composer announced Tuesday on Twitter that he was "excited" to be part of a medical trial.
"I am excited that tomorrow I am going to be vaccinated for the Oxford Covid 19 trial," he wrote. "I’ll do anything to prove that theatres can re-open safely."
Theatres were forced to close amid the coronavirus pandemic, leading to the shutting down of productions such as the current staging of "Phantom of the Opera" on West End.
Webber wrote on Twitter that he believed the show would "reopen as soon as is possible." He also initially projected that Broadway would reopen by September or October, but it has since been announced that the theatre would remain closed until 2021.
Speaking with Page Six in April, Webber said theatres needed to reopen.
"We need these places, many are old, safe as possible," he said. "In South Korea, they take everyone's temperature. We'll self-clean handles, wipe doors, utilize every safety measure. People won't wish to crowd into small clustered seats again. But we must reopen. Some, with leftover money to spend, need the theater."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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