Performances of Emilia Clarke’s play The Seagull have been suspended as London theatres shut their doors in a bid to help slow the spread of coronavirus.

Following advice from Prime Minister Boris Johnson about mass gatherings, the West End has decided to postpone their performances.

The Game Of Thrones star made her West End debut in the play on 11 March, with performances scheduled to run until 30 May.

As theatre-goers arrived at the venue, a sign on the doors of The Playhouse read: ‘Due to the ongoing public health crisis with COVID-19, Today’s performance of The Seagull at the Playhouse Theatre has been cancelled. Please contact your point of sale from 10am tomorrow to enquire about refunds and exchanges, none will be issued at this time.

‘We thank you for your support and understanding at this challenging time. Playhouse Theatre Management.’

A statement on the official Twitter page announced that no further performances will take place for the foreseeable future.

The message from Mark Cornell, Group CEO at Ambassador Theatre Group read: ‘We understand that this decision comes as a disappointment, and a massive inconvenience for those of you already on the way to a venue this evening, but ultimately we all want the same thing: the health and safety of our communities, and we believe this is the correct decision to make.’

He added that they are ‘consulting with industry bodies’ as to what will happen ‘in the immediate future’.

The Society of London, which represents the West End, and UK Theatre also followed suit.

Their statement read: ‘We regret to announce that from this evening (including tonight’s performances) SOLT and UK Theatre venues have closed in light of official government advice.

‘They will remain closed until further notice and will re-open when possible, following government recommendations.

‘Your box office/retailer from whom you bought your tickets will be in contact with regards to refunds and exchanges. Please bear with us in these unprecedented times.’ [Source]