Norwich Theatre Royal bosses have made the decision to postpone the 2020 pantomime of Dick Whittington and His Cat due to coronavirus.

Eastern Daily Press: Chief executive of Norwich Theatre Royal Stephen Crocker. Picture: Ella WilkinsonChief executive of Norwich Theatre Royal Stephen Crocker. Picture: Ella Wilkinson (Image: Archant)

The panto was due to run from Tuesday, December 8 to Sunday, January 10 but will now be moved to Christmas 2021 with new dates set to be announced shortly.

The decision has been made due to the uncertainty around the reopening of theatres which has left them unable to commit to the “substantial up-front costs” for the show.

A statement on the Norwich Theatre Royal website says: “It is with very heavy hearts that we have had to make the decision to postpone our 2020 Pantomime Dick Whittington and His Cat to Christmas 2021.

“We know this will be a huge disappointment to our loyal pantomime audience who look forward to this traditional Christmas family treat and this is what saddens us most.

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“The huge financial losses we are currently experiencing due to an extended period of closure, as well as there having been no government support package for theatres, mean that we are no longer able to commit to such a large-scale production because it has such substantial up-front costs.

“COVID-19 has made a huge dent in future sales for all shows at all of our venues including ticket sales for our pantomime which are significantly lower than usual.

“This makes the risk of staging the pantomime too great and it is clear from our audience surveys that the government’s early warning to avoid theatres and the prolonged wait for any re-opening plan has dented public confidence in returning to our venues.

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“Our commitment to our audiences throughout the year, and especially at Christmas, is to deliver magical and brilliant experiences and we do not feel this would be possible in the current circumstances.”

All current ticket-holders will be contacted directly to transfer their tickets to an equivalent performance in 2021.

Customers are asked to refrain from contacting the theatre by phone as the box office team is currently worked reduced hours and remotely.