Andrew Lloyd Webber has said he was wrong to predict a "bloodbath" for London theatre during the Olympics.
His statement came as new figures showed takings at his theatres had risen by 25% since the Games began.
Last December, Lord Lloyd-Webber told Radio 4's Today programme: "Nobody's going to go to the theatre at all".
Now the composer has admitted to The Telegraph newspaper: "I have been proved wrong and I couldn't be more delighted about that".
West End figures published on Monday showed box office takings for the first seven days of the London 2012 Games were up £250,000 on the previous week.
Speaking to the BBC on Tuesday, Lord Lloyd-Webber added that Monday night's takings for Shrek and Phantom of the Opera, both playing at his theatres, were "hugely up".
"Shrek was really flying last night," he said. "Certainly everything is already 25% up on the Monday on where it was even last week, which is very good."
However, he indicated that theatre audiences were not drawn from the usual overseas summer visitors - with most patrons coming from the UK instead.
"They do appear to be mainly British," he told the BBC. "A lot of people are coming to London and saying 'let's take in a show too', which is great
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Wouldn't mind some cheap tickets - any ideas which shows Darts?
Not that we really wanted any more grandkids.....free or not !
Should have just posted " We're off to see the Wizard...".
Retailers in the West End have reported a improvement in their fortunes as shoppers flooded back to the district, boosted by the Olympics, according to Retail Week
Heart of London, which represents the business improvement district including Piccadilly, St James’s, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus, said footfall was up last week despite reports that the area had been quiet as shoppers avoided the area because of transport congestion fears.
Separate figures showed an increase in sales on Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street last week, and footfall up 11.6 per cent on the previous seven days.
We got chatting to a bunch of Yorkie's who were all down specifically to drive buses to and from the venues for the two weeks - about a dozen of them (men and women). All staying in a local WE hotel - so good for the hotel - spending money in the local boozer - so good for the boozer - and still earning a good screw so that they would all have a good wedge in their dusty bins when they returned, so good for their own local economies when they get back too.
Oh, and the pub wasn't a "ghost town" either.
Block bookings from day trip theatre groups from outside of London (who make up a very big percentage of theatre goers in The West End) are not attending at this time because of the Olympics.
Plus all the 'normal' type of tourists are not here because of the Olympics which would be 'considerably more' than have come to see the Olympics and who would actually stay and spend time in central London. They of course had been frightened off staying here during the Olympics because of the high charges being charged by hotels, a policy that has clearly back fired. As a result there are now plenty of rooms available and at vastly reduced rates than previously quoted.....the hotel groups/chains have quite simply shot themselves (and everyone else) in the foot with their greed.
Believe you me there's some real manipulation of figures and show biz hype going on from our dear friend Lloyd-Webber.
Were what he says to be true tickets would be like gold dust and prices sky high....But no, ticket prices are way down and you have to ask yourself why.
So you are saying he (and other West End Theatres) is lying in the newspapers and media and that he has published falsely inflated income figures for what exactly? Just to increase his business taxes?
Come on.
Heart of London in on it too?
I'll choose not to believe anecdotal ''evidence''
Too many people don't seem able to understand the difference between density and distribution. There are clearly more people in London, but obviously they are in different places.
And the papers havent got a clue either - publishing both sides of the 'story' in the same edition!!
Evening Standard page 5 ''Covent Garden - visitors scared off. Area ominously quiet''
Evening standard page 40 ''Covent Garden thrives in games. Landlords Capital and Counties has seen no sign of Olympic ghost town in the area''
London 2012 Olympics: Ghost town? Oxford Street is heaving
London’s transport chief today hit back at claims that the Olympics had created a “ghost town”.
Transport for London commissioner Peter Hendy said there were a record 4.4 million Tube users on Friday compared with 3.75 million on the same day last year.
In response to claims that TfL’s advice to avoid central London had hurt West End businesses, he said use of the Tube in the area was up.
According to TfL figures there were seven to 12 per cent more passengers at seven key West End stations last week than in the same week last year.
Mr Hendy said: “We have asked people to change their habits by avoiding the usual peaks and they have. I can only tell you what people did and not what they bought. I went down Oxford Street and it was bloody heaving with huge queues so somebody’s doing alright.” He added: “We would not have got 4.4 million people on our system on Friday without taking some action and if people hadn’t changed their habits.”
Mr Hendy said fears that goods and services would be held up by Olympic road restrictions had proved unfounded. “The dog that didn’t bark is that the distribution of things like beer, blood, bread and newspapers worked quite well last week,” he said.
However, he declined to disclose how many people had been fined £130 for driving in Games lanes.
Use of the DLR was up 70 per cent to 500,000 journeys last week with its busiest ever day on Friday.
London Overground carried 2.86 million passengers last week, which is 27 per cent up on last year.
Boris bike rides hit one million in a month for the first time in July.
You supply stories from friends, I know who I believe.
People on the ground are the ones who really know what's going on and they are not stories I can assure you.....if only they were!
I'm not actually up there in London at present but as a member of The Giftware Association I'm getting plenty of info/feedback re vendors who are going to be stuck with already purchased Olympic related stock....they are bricking it.
The footfall in the shops I mention above is at least 20% down on what would normally be expected in August.
Do you believe everything you read in newspapers........of course you don't.......but like most people, you do when it suits you.
The retail trade in central London was expecting bumper sales during the Olympics....the 'truth is' for whatever reason, that simply hasn't happened.
As for visitors not staying, the imperious and unquestionable 'Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine (should be on HIGNFY!) reports last week...
''With just two days before the Olympics opening ceremony, London hotels look set to achieve a committed average occupancy of 80.4% throughout the games, according to the latest figures from revenue generating company TravelClick.
The busiest night in the capital during the Olympics is currently Tuesday 31 July, with a committed occupancy of 85.8%. With the men's road cycling individual time trial final taking place the next day, it seems that the popularity of Bradley Wiggins - who will be going for gold following his Tour de France triumph - may be having an impact.
Hotel prices during the games are up an average of 70% on the same time last year and are set to reach a high of £193 on the night of Sunday 5 August, when the men's 100m final will see Usain Bolt attempting his second success in the event.''
Also
STR Global, the leading service provider of market information to the hotel industry, is reporting on the recent daily performance of London during the 2012 Olympic Games. The Games started Friday, 27 July 2012.
From 27 July until 29 July 2012, hoteliers across London reported 84.4 percent occupancy and £224.72 average room rates.
“Hotel performance is strong, London hotels are busy. Some but not all are full; there is room in the inn but overall hotels are in a good position”, commented Elizabeth Randall, managing director of STR Global.
I see electric bike sales increased 100% last week and mountain bikes went up 42% and Morrisons reported 10% increase in snacks during the first weekend of the Olympics, not that any of this has anything to do with the reported good news for the West End.