'The Prom' will end its Broadway run in August

Authors:

Michael Paulson

June 20, 2019 11:23 AM

The musical opened in November to strong reviews — in The New York Times, the critic Jesse Green called it “a joyful hoot.” He said, “With its kinetic dancing, broad mugging and belty anthems, it makes you believe in musical comedy again.”

'The Prom' will end its Broadway run in August

“The Prom,” a musical comedy about four underemployed New York actors who try to get some publicity by promoting acceptance for an ostracized high school lesbian in Indiana, will close its Broadway production on Aug. 11.

At the time of its closing, “The Prom” will have played 23 preview and 310 regular performances at the Longacre Theater. The stage producers are planning a national tour beginning in 2021, and television producer Ryan Murphy has said he wants to adapt the show as a “movie event” for Netflix.

The show was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including best new musical. But it came away empty-handed and has consistently struggled to break through in a competitive theatrical marketplace.

The show, which had an initial production at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta, features music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Bob Martin and Beguelin, and is directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw. The lead producers are Bill Damaschke, Dori Berinstein and Jack Lane.

It was capitalized for up to $13.5 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission; that money has not been recouped. Its box office grosses have been middling — last week, it brought in $638,365, which is 61% of its potential, according to figures released by the Broadway League.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Authors:

Michael Paulson