PERFORMANCES of a West End musical have been suspended until after Christmas due to Covid.

All shows of Everybody's Talking About Jamie at Theatre Royal in Brighton have been cancelled until December 28.

Customers were informed of the cancellation of Friday's performance in the afternoon, but it was unclear as to when shows would resume.

The Theatre Royal has now confirmed that all performances from Saturday 18 to Monday 27 will not be taking place due to an outbreak of Covid.

It said on Facebook: "Unfortunately, due to cases of Covid-19 amongst the cast and crew, all performances of Everybody's Talking About Jamie until 27 December are cancelled.

"The show will resume on 28 December. All customers will be contacted regarding their booking.

"We sincerely apologise for the disappointment caused and look forward to welcoming you safely back to our theatre soon."

Everybody's Talking About Jamie is currently on a UK tour and is set to make stops in Southampton, Nottingham, Milton Keynes and Edinburgh in the new year.

The show follows 16-year-old Jamie New as he overcomes prejudice and bullying at his school in Sheffield to become a drag queen.

West End star Layton Williams reprises the titular role, with street dancer and Britain's Got Talent winner George Sampson and Coronation Street and Dinnerladies star Shobna Gulati also featuring in the show.

The cancellations come after a rise of Omicron cases in the city and 900 new Covid-19 infections were reported in just two days.

Brighton and Hove City Council said that that in the week up to December 11, the city had 1,884 new confirmed cases of the virus - equivalent to a weekly rate of 645.8 per 100,000 residents.

Everybody's Talking About Jamie is one of many theatre productions to be cancelled across the country.

Andrew Lloyd Webber has said it is “simply heartbreaking” to see the theatre industry “decimated” by Omicron cancellations , adding “no-one in the Government listens”.

On Thursday night his production of Cinderella was axed due to “Covid-related absences”, alongside London productions of hit musicals Hamilton and The Lion King.

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