Hamilton is latest musical to announce West End return

There will have been 17 months between the last show and the reopening date

Smash hit musical Hamilton is planning to be back in London's West End this summer, more than a year after it closed because of the pandemic.

Producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh said the award-winning show about the USA's founding fathers would resume at the Victoria Palace Theatre from 19 August.

He said he was "delighted" to give the news after an "incredibly hard year".

Many shows are making plans to reopen from 17 May with social distancing, and from June 21 with no restrictions.

Those dates depend on the third and fourth steps on the government's reopening roadmap remaining on track.

Hamilton opened in London in December 2017 and continued to play there until theatres shut last March because of Covid-19. Most stages have been in darkness ever since.

Sir Cameron said he was "moved and inspired by the resilience and camaraderie of so many practitioners from all aspects of our industry who have taken on any job so that they and their families could survive".

• From West End Stage to supermarket food delivery

• The night the theatres went dark

• London theatres 'devastated' to close again

Hamilton is now booking until February 2022, with the cast yet to be announced.

A spokesperson said theatregoers who had tickets for shows that were cancelled due to the pandemic would have them moved to an alternative date, which will be a comparable day of the week and seat location.

If the date is unsuitable, the customer can exchange for a different performance or request a refund.

Which other shows are reopening?

Zizi Strallen plays Mary Poppins in the West End musical adaptation

Hamilton isn't the only musical back in town - also on Wednesday, Mary Poppins announced it would return on 7 August at London's Prince Edward Theatre. Zizi Strallen will be back in the title role, alongside Charlie Stemp as Bert.

Some West End musicals are planning to open next month with social distancing, including Everybody Loves Jamie, Les Miserables - The Staged Concert, The Mousetrap and Amelie the Musical.

Other big shows planning to get back in the spotlight in June and July include:

• The Phantom of The Opera

• The Prince of Egypt

• Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat

• Pretty Woman: The Musical

• Come From Away

• The Lion King

• The Play That Goes Wrong

Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical Cinderella will now open on 25 June, with the world premiere on 14 July

There are also numerous new shows (and revivals) that are finally arriving this summer, such as:

• Anything Goes

• Cinderella

• Carousel

• Hairspray

• Back to the Future

• Disney's Frozen

But we're still waiting to hear when some productions will reopen, including Dear Evan Hansen and Matilda the Musical.

Others won't be back until the autumn, including Wicked, which will return on 15 September.

The full musical version of Les Miserables will also be back in September, while Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will not return until 14 October at the earliest.