LONDON (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic has devastated British theater, a world-renowned cultural export and major economic force. The theaters in London’s West End shut even before the U.K.’s first lockdown began in March 2020, and they have remained closed for most of the past 13 months. They are now preparing to welcome audiences back. Some theaters are reopening once the government allows indoor venues to admit limited audiences on May 17. But with social distancing restrictions, almost no foreign tourists and uncertainty about whether the virus will surge again, the West End and the thousands of people who work in the storied theater district face deep uncertainty.
