THE Grand Opera House in York is still in limbo waiting on government advice over when it can reopen - after several West End Shows announced they will stay closed until next year.

On Thursday it was confirmed that Hamilton, Les Miserables, Mary Poppins and The Phantom of the Opera will not return to London’s West End stages until 2021.

Producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh said “drastic steps”, including redundancies, were required if the shows are to reopen “as early as practical” next year.

Meanwhile, the company ATG, which owns the Grand Opera House in York, confirmed it has been involved in discussions with the government and is due to get an update on where it stands next week.

Last week, the boss of York Theatre Royal told The Press he is confident it can survive the coronavirus crisis - and it might still reopen by this winter, allowing the big Christmas panto to be staged.

The National Theatre have warned it is facing financial collapse without extra government assistance. But York Theatre Royal executive director Tom Bird said that while the closure of the theatre since March had placed it in a critical situation, it had been helped by the “overwhelming” support from the community.