New Documentary The Show Must Go On to Chronicle Andrew Lloyd Webber's Efforts During COVID-19

The Show Must Go On, a new documentary about efforts to bring the world tour of The Phantom of the Opera and the South Korean tour of Cats to their respective opening nights in the wake of COVID-19, is now in post-production. Shot in South Korea, the United States and the United Kingdom, the film features Andrew Lloyd Webber as well as the touring companies. The doc is directed by Emmy winner and Broadway producer Dori Berinstein and her daughter Sammi Cannold, who helmed Lloyd Webber's Evita at City Center in 2019.

In March of 2020 and for the first time in history, the performing arts were put on pause worldwide when theater shut down in every country except one: South Korea. From the frontlines in Seoul, this film followed these two theatrical productions that were able to push ahead safely during the pandemic and helped show the way forward. The documentary simultaneously follows Lloyd Webber as he uses the example set by his Korean colleagues to envision a new future for theater on Broadway and the West End.

Lloyd Webber has been dedicated to reopening theaters in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. He took to Twitter on August 12, 2020 to share that he would be participating in an experimental vaccine trial the following day: "I'll do anything to prove that theaters can reopen safely," he said. As previously reported, Lloyd Webber ran a series of tests at the London Palladium in July 2020. On July 23, a socially distanced audience witnessed a live performance from Cinderella movie-bound star Beverley Knight at the venue.

A release date for The Show Must Go On will be announced later.