Russian ballet visits to Northampton and Wolverhampton cancelled

The Russian State Ballet had been due to appear at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from Monday

Performances by the Russian State Ballet at theatres in Northampton and Wolverhampton have been cancelled following the invasion of Ukraine.

The decision "is absolutely the right thing to do given the circumstances", the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre said in a statement.

The ballet company had been due to appear for three days from Monday.

The Royal and Derngate in Northampton said it had cancelled Saturday's performances by the company.

Members of the Ukrainian community in Wolverhampton had previously been calling for the visit to the city to be cancelled.

"We would have thought they would have shown some compassion to our community," Andrew Duda, branch chairman of the Association of Ukrainians said before the cancellation.

The theatre said discussions between management, producers and agents had been taking place since Thursday.

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The cancellation will have "a significant financial impact", it added, following its closure during the pandemic.

All customers who bought tickets for the ballet in Wolverhampton and Northampton have been promised a full refund.

A spokesperson for Raymond Gubbay Ltd, promoter for the ballet company's appearances, said the cancellations were "as to be expected" and they were in regular contact with venues and the government.