WHILE a fire raged at the Randolph Hotel on Friday, next door at the Oxford Playhouse it was a case of “the show must go on”.

Patrons were unperturbed as just one of the 600 who had bought tickets failed to make the theatre’s 8pm performance of Arcadia.

A decision was made at about 6.30pm that the closing performance of the show should go ahead.

Chief executive Louise Chantal said: “I thought maybe half of them would turn up but no, everyone turned up.

“We only had one call from someone who assumed the show wouldn’t be on so we refunded them.

“I was amazed.”

She added: “When the fire commander made the decision – it was almost like a Hollywood moment.

“He said: ‘Well let’s do the show’, it really was like the show must go on.

“Obviously it’s theatre, not life and death, but the fire service understood the importance financially and from an operational point of view of us going ahead with the show if possible.”

Assistant chief fire officer Simon Furlong said: “We were happy they were a far enough distance away and we had the fire under control at that time.

“It’s not just about the damage here but it’s about the economic damage to the city.”

Earlier in the day, the Playhouse – the hotel’s evacuation point – filled with guests and staff.

Theatre staff provided the 80 evacuees and other guests staying at the hotel with tea and coffee and opened up the bar.

Among them was a group of ladies who had been in the hotel’s spa as the fire broke out.

Ms Chantal added: “There were about half a dozen girls in towelling robes, so we gave them some Oxford Playhouse sweatshirts and t-shirts.

“There were people buying gin and tonics and selling programmes and then there were firemen going up and down with all their gear on – it was like a scene out of Ghostbusters.”

The theatre foyer was taken over by the hotel’s concierge service, who re-directed guests to hotels around the city.

On Saturday they remained there as confused tourists found their expected accommodation unavailable.