Summer Strallen denounces ‘unfair’ cancellation of Cinderella show

Theatre actress Summer Strallen has spoken out about the cancellation of West End musical Cinderella.

The stage version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella will end on June 12, the show’s organizers announced Sunday. Following the news, some members of the show’s cast took to social media to claim they had heard about it in the press rather than directly.

Summer explained in an Instagram video how the cancellation affects the cast and crew’s job security, saying she “was basically fired by social media, which is just not acceptable.”

Summer explained that she recently had a wig fitting for the role of the Queen, which she was due to take over from Rebecca Trehearn, saying she only found out the show was being cancelled when a friend sent her an article about it on Sunday.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s PM programme, Summer said theatre workers “feel so disposable” because of practices like these, and she feared she would be “blacklisted” for speaking out about it.

“I believe it’s unfair, not just to the actors, but to the stage staff, the backstage crew and the musicians. No one took that into account at all,” she said.

A spokesperson for Cinderella production company, Really Useful Group, told BBC News: “All the company working yesterday were informed in person after the matinee performance.”

They insisted that those who were not present were contacted, some through their agents. Some cast members noted that agents would not have responded on a Sunday.