A production of The Phantom of the Opera has been brought in from China to tour the EU because Brexit red tape made it too “expensive” to use a British one.
The latest example of the “disastrous” impact of Boris Johnson’s hard Brexit deal on touring creative artists was revealed as MPs investigated to hit to UK ‘soft power.
Jessica Koravos, president of the Really Useful Group, which promotes Andrew Lloyd Webber’s shows around the world, revealed she was unable to take UK staff across the Channel.
It was “more straightforward and less expensive” to bring in a production from China 5,000 miles away, she told the Commons culture committee.
“Under current circumstances, I would not dream of sending a UK production into Europe,” Ms Koravos said, pointing to the mountain of paperwork involved.
The revelation comes after David Frost, who negotiated the trade deal, admitted he had failed touring artists by inflicting the punishing costs and red tape on them – breaking a pre-Brexit promise.
The astonishing U-turn came 14 months after The Independent revealed he rejected an EU offer to rescue visa and permit-free touring deal in the Brexit talks.
Julian Knight, the committee’s Tory chair said the inability to tour with a British production of The Phantom of the Opera underlined the “economically disastrous” situation.
“That one of the all-time great British musical impresarios would not now dream of taking a production rich in West End heritage into the EU from Britain speaks volumes about the impact of the government’s approach to supporting touring creatives,” he said.
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