Matthew Murphy
Once againThe Broadway musical, which uses Britney Spears songs to retell and revise several fairy tales and opened in June to mixed reviews, has announced an early closing.
In an Instagram post today, the production notes that the final performance will be on September 3 at the Marquis Theatre.
The post reads: “The fairy tale is coming to an end.” “Final performance on September 3rd… Come with us again!”
Justin Guarini as Prince Charming
Matthew Murphy
Modernizing fairy-tale characters like Cinderella, Snow White and Rapunzel with a feminist twist, the musical, directed by Keone and Mary Madrid, includes Spears’ hits like “Oops I Did It Again,” “Toxic,” “Baby One More Time,” “Lucky,” “I Want To Go”, “Crazy”, “If I Dance”, “Rider”, and “Work Whore”.
Although Spears has expressed her approval of the musical, she has not been directly involved in it. The great cast includes Briga Hylan, Justin Guarini, Aisha Jackson, and Jennifer Simard.
While critics’ reviews of the musical varied widely, the show failed to captivate audiences or succeed in capitalizing on Spears’ large fan base to any meaningful extent. The most recent available box office figures — for the week ending August 13 — indicate attendance at the Marquis was less than 50% capacity (47.4% of seats were filled, to be exact). The expensive production took in $512,008 in box office receipts that week, an insignificant amount for a musical at a venue as big as Marquis.
“We couldn’t be more proud of this hilarious, beautifully hilarious show – which is not only a love letter to Britney’s iconic artistry and unique effervescence, but also an incredible showcase of the boundless talent of our creative and casting team,” said Producers James L. Nederlander and Hunter Arnold said in a statement. “We want to express our deep gratitude to this dream team of collaborators, performers, designers, staff, crew, and investors who continue to share our passion and joy for this project. As plans for the future life of the show take shape around the world, we’re excited to share more news soon!”
The producers said that plans are underway for a national tour as well as an international production.
The musical began showings on Broadway on May 13 and officially opened on June 22.
. “Professional creator. Lifelong thinker. Reader. Beer buff. Troublemaker. Evil problem solver.”