IN THE rich lexicon of theatrical slang, when a theatre is closed, it is said to be “dark”. A dark theatre is a stab to the heart of anyone working in the profession.

For the best part of the past two years, of course, every West End theatre — and every theatre across the country — has been dark. For an industry that makes a huge contribution to the UK economy, and to the life of central London, the shock was profound. And it is very far from being over.

But the very act of putting on a show requires huge reserves of optimism, and theatre folk are returning from their lockdown jobs, or unemployment, warily singing “Always look on the bright side of life”.

So, how do things look right now from my pitch, here at the Actors’ Church in the heart of Covent Garden?

Well, with the opening of Cabaret at the Playhouse, every West End theatre has now reopened — sort of. This is obviously great news, and I love walking around theatreland, seeing the lights back on and the casts and crews on their way to work.

Even the season’s biggest opening, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, which had been repeatedly delayed, finally opened, and is a total delight. Andrew was also able to reopen the most famous theatre in the world, the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, after a stunning refurbishment costing more than £60 million. That was a particular joy, because I conducted his son Alastair Lloyd Webber’s wedding back in the summer, and we were able to have the wedding reception at the theatre.

SO, IS everything in the theatrical garden now rosy? There remain huge challenges.

The biggest challenge is, of course, the lack of audiences. Tourists, especially foreign tourists, are thin on the ground. We see this at St Paul’s, Covent Garden, too; and even domestic audiences are still very wary. Bookings for pantomime across the country are 30 per cent lower than before the pandemic, and even blockbuster hits are having to discount tickets to attract sparse audiences.

This is not sustainable in the long run. West End shows, especially musicals, are staggeringly expensive to stage, and need full houses to turn a profit.

Second, the virus continues to disrupt the industry. Moulin Rouge, a very splashy new show at the Piccadilly, has had, as I write, to cancel seven performances, including its press night, and my friends in the cast are in despair.

Although the Government has made money available through the Cultural Recovery Fund — and our in-house company, Iris Theatre, benefited from it — it does not begin to replace the losses sustained by an industry that was already known as “the fabulous invalid”.

In addition, most theatre workers were freelancers, and thus ineligible for most government schemes. Many have left the industry for good, and the effects of that will last for decades.

But, having said all that, on the Second Sunday in Advent, some of the cream of the West End dashed over from their Sunday matinées to the Actors’ Church to raise money for the Royal Theatrical Fund and the St Paul’s Benevolent Fund.

It was a fabulous evening, hosted by Dolly Diamond, and the sense of excitement was electric. As I said at the opening “We are back!” And we are. Dolly, let us hope, will never go away again.

The Revd Simon Grigg is Rector of St Paul’s, Covent Garden.