MAYFLOWER Theatre opened its doors to customers for the first time since March 16 last night.

Musical lovers enjoyed a socially distanced screening of 42nd Street following the iconic city theatre's 177 day coronavirus closure.

Despite the cancellation of all live shows until 2021, the smash hit musical launched a series of West End and Broadway musicals and plays on the big screen stretching across the theatre's entire stage with great success.

An audience of around 200 were temperature checked on arrival, used electronic tickets and wore masks during the screening. Rows of seats were left empty between groups and extra cleaning was carried out in the auditorium.

Bonnie Langford stars in the toe-tapping classic which sees small-town American Peggy Sawyer's dreams of stardom become a reality.

Mayflower chief executive Michael Ockwell said: "It is such a challenge running a business at the moment that relies entirely on our customers and to not have you in the theatre is heart-breaking.

"We wanted to bring you the experience of seeing live theatre albeit in a filmed version in the surroundings of our beautiful auditorium safely with social distancing."

Mayflower's Musical Movies series continues until September 20 with shows including Tony award winners Kinky Boots and An American in Paris and children's classics The Wind in the Willows and Hetty Feather.

The new 25th anniversary version of Riverdance will be beamed into the theatre later this month along with Rodgers and Hammerstein favourite The King and I.

Tickets are on sale now from mayflower.org.uk