“When the historically pivotal Islington theatre was rebuilt with a Lottery grant of £30 million, there was much sneering at “ballet” getting “people’s money”. Seven years on, and Sadler’s Wells is now the most virtuous theatre in London. It manages to be both local and international. Now a new stage begins. This week Sadler’s Wells’s chief executive Alastair Spalding announced a risky new development – risky because it challenges the theatre’s knife-edge finances.”