Covid-19 has struck a fatal blow to one of the main attractions of this year’s Hope Fest theatre festival in Manchester.
A member of the crew of A Celebration of Musicals, which was due to open tonight until Saturday in the Hope Fest theatre tent in Ancoats, has tested positive for the disease, forcing the company into isolation and the show’s cacellation.
The festival, organised by nearby Hope Mill theatre, began on July 16 and was one of the first theatre events launched as legal restrictions on theatre came to an end on July 19.
The musical entertainment, which was to have featured songs from iconic musical such as Jesus Christ Superstar and Les Miserables, would have been the highlight of the festival, which closes with a special party on Sunday.
Organisers have managed to fill the five-night gap in the festival schedule with Jason Manford's Comedy Club and other entertainment.