Andrew Lloyd Webber was heartbroken as he was forced to close Cinderella on Freedom Day due to the cast and crew getting Covid pings.
The composer took to his Twitter to share the unfortunate news with fans after discovering 'one positive case in a member of the cast'.
Two Saturday shows - which was set to debut at London's Gillian Lynne Theatre - have been cancelled while they carry out more tests.
"Today, on this "Freedom Day", I have been forced to take the heart-breaking decision not to open my Cinderella," he began his statement.
"At Cinderella, from the outset, we have employed a rigorous testing system for all the cast and backstage crew before they begin work. On Saturday, as part of this process, we identified one positive case in a member of our cast who has a cameo role in the show.
"As a precautionary measure, we cancelled two shows on Saturday while we carried out further tests on everyone backstage, which were negative."
He went on to say that any cast or crew member that was found as a 'close contact of the positive case' was given more PCR tests, which showed negative results.
Andrew added: "Despite this, the impossible conditions created by the blunt instrument that is the Government's isolation guidance, mean that we cannot continue. We have been forced into a devastating decision that will affect the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of people and disappoint the thousands who have booked to see the show.
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"Cinderella was ready to go. My sadness for our cast and crew, our loyal audience and the industry I have been fighting for is impossible to put into words. Freedom Day has been turned into closure day."
Freedom Day began one minute past midnight on Monday 19 July.
The new regime means there are no legal limits on the size of dinners, house parties and nightclub crowds.
People are no longer forced by law to wear a face mask in most indoor spaces, and mass events can restart.
Cinderella began performances in June when the audience capacity was only at 50 per cent.
A new opening night date for the show has not yet been announced.
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