Lights go down on live theatre performance for first time in 16 months
The Lyric Theatre in Belfast has welcomed back its first audience since the start of the pandemic.
Theatre lovers in Belfast have been treated to a live performance for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
Only 90 minutes after Stormont regulations formally changed to permit theatres to reopen, the lights went down at the Lyric Theatre for the opening night of Dracula.
It was the first audience the famous venue had hosted for 16 months.
However, the restrictions did not dampen spirts and the call for people to take their seats was greeted with a loud cheer in the theatre bar and foyer ahead of the performance.
The play’s director Philip Crawford said everyone was so grateful so see an audience back in the Lyric.
“It’s just great to see this building coming alive again, it’s just strange that it’s 16 months since we’ve had audiences arriving,” he said.
“It’s very exciting. We just hope we remember how to do it.”
The play had already been scheduled and tickets sold in the hope that regulations would have changed come opening night.
“I don’t think in our wildest dreams we thought that we would have permission to open 90 minutes before the show opened,” he said.
“Yesterday the whole company had a day off but I can assure you it wasn’t the day off to relax. From about lunchtime I think we were just constantly checking the websites and listening.”
Wife and husband Carmel and Michael McGuigan from Belfast were among the 130 strong audience.
Mrs McGuigan said 16 months without the theatre had been “absolutely terrible”.
“We’ve really missed it,” she said.
“Since 1976 we’ve been coming to the Lyric and there would have been very few plays we would have missed.
“We’re delighted to be back”.
“To be honest… it seems more than 16 months, it seems like three years ago,” he said.
“It’s great to be back, absolutely brilliant.
“Believe me, it was sadly missed.”