Dame Judi cancels shows

The star power of Dame Judi Dench has seen advance sales for her new West End play, Hay Fever, top £1million - but the first four preview performances have been cancelled because she is ill.

The Noel Coward revival has racked up £1.1million in ticket receipts at the Haymarket before it opens, almost unheard of for a play.

Previews were due to start last night but performances are now set to start next Tuesday as Dame Judi, 71, has flu.

Hay Fever, her first Noel Coward play for 40 years, officially opens on 20 April.

Not since 2002's The Breath of Life in which Dame Judi appeared alongside Dame Maggie Smith, has the West End witnessed such demand for a non-musical.

With top tickets at £50, Hay Fever is also one of the most expensive plays to watch in West End history.

But producer Bill Kenwright's decision to charge high seems to have paid off.

Peter Bowles, Belinda Lang and former EastEnder Kim Medcalf also star in Hay Fever which tells the story of a weekend in the life of the eccentric Bliss family.

The play, directed by Sir Peter Hall, runs in the West End until 5 August.