Silent West End protest with the rest of the Only Fool And Horses cast

Paul Whitehouse is to stage a protest with fellow members of the cast and crew of the Only Fools and Horses musical to draw attention to the plight of theatre industry workers this week.

More than 30 people from the show will stand in silence outside Theatre Royal Haymarket, where they would usually be working, for 15 minutes on Thursday

Whitehouse, who co-wrote the show and stars as Grandad, said: ‘This stand is to highlight the plight of everyone who works in the theatre industry: the front of house staff, box office, bar staff, cleaners, ushers, maintenance workers as well as the stage crew and cast, producers, writers, set designers, directors, lighting and sound designers, art departments, production teams, make-up and wigs, costume, carpenters, marketing, musicians and musical directors.

‘Not to mention all the small businesses that survive and thrive as a result of theatre audiences...the restaurants, bars, coffee shops, cabbies and many others.

‘If it’s OK to go to the cinema, it must be OK to go to a show. If it’s OK to go to a crowded airport and sit on a plane for hours, it must be OK to go to a show. You can ventilate a theatre...you can’t open a window on a plane.

‘We need restrictions lifted, or a cohesive date to work towards, so we can plan how to reignite an entire industry.’

Published: 1 Sep 2020