I Can't Sing! producers admit 'still work to do'

Nigel Harman (centre) stars as Simon Cowell in the spoof musical

The producers of X Factor spoof musical I Can't Sing! have admitted there is "still work to do" after an audience was left waiting almost 50 minutes between acts during its first show.

Written by comic Harry Hill, the start of preview performances had already been delayed by several days due to technical staging problems.

Producers said Wednesday's show at the London Palladium was a natural time for "ironing out" problems.

The musical is due to open on 26 March.

In a statement, the team behind the musical said: "We have a huge and ambitious set, which is thrilling our audiences when they see it, but we're aware that the turnaround between acts needs to be quicker and our technical teams continue to work extremely hard on shortening it.

"The preview period for any new West End show is, by its nature, a time for ironing out any issues and we fully recognise there's still work to do on the interval length, which is getting shorter all the time, and we thank everyone for their patience."

They added: "We've had an absolutely terrific response from our preview audiences, with standing ovations each night so far."

Previews had been due to begin on 27 February but were postponed for 48 hours to allow for more time "to work on technical aspects".

However, it was later pushed back to 5 March, with producers blaming an "integral" part of the set not working properly.

I Can't Sing! stars former EastEnders actor Nigel Harman as X Factor supremo Simon Cowell in the show about a young woman who auditions and finds fame on the reality show.

It also features other characters based on past and present judges Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole, as well as host Dermot O'Leary.